Storm of Desire — Paula Fairman

Reesa Flowers, eighteen years old, with a capacity for life and a blossoming sexuality that would soon betray her. Daughter of the telegrapher for the new railroad that was forging its way west, Reesa was the only woman in the rough and brutal railroad camp, an innocent temptation to raw passions barely held in check. When Reesa and Ted Foster meet, they are immediately drawn to one another, but the handsome young builder is nurturing a dream, dedicated to furthering the path of the 'iron horse.' Frustrated by Ted's seeming indifference, Reesa turns to other men and is soon caught in the bloody battle between the Mexicans, who are losing their land, and the bankers, who plot to take over the railroad. And then Reesa finds that her body has become as much a prize as the right to push west. Brutalized by the sexual hunger of men who live without women, Reesa becomes a pawn in a deadly, winner-take-all game of chance. Forced to play games of her own, she gambles her future to win the one man who taught her the meaning of passion.