When I created Dawson McCade I wanted a brother who was more than just another cowboy. Dawson is the only brother who doesn't live on the McCade ranch. He has a cabin miles away from the family and has spent a lot of time with his lifelong friend Leaning Bear, a Cheyenne Medicine Man.
The two met when he was young and over the years they have passed back and forth a knife and beads that signify their ongoing friendship. I have always been fascinated by native American history in the old west as sad as it was in true life. But in his story I have Dawson stand up for the tribes and his friend. But Dawson's brothers worry about his connection with the tribes where he finds his work as an interpreter. He sees the big picture in what the government is doing to the Indian nations and he takes a stand more than once. Some of his passion for what he believes comes from his deceased father who taught him to stand up for the causes he finds right. And as a McCade he does that well, while still remaining close and protective of the family. And while Dawson doesn't reside on the ranch he is never far and always willing to help his brothers where needed. But it is Dawson's compassion for others that is unleashed when he crosses paths with Haven Oakley as she runs from Cheyenne Dog Soldiers. In that day and time, Dog Soldier would have pretty much been on reservations as I explain in my notes inside the book, but this is fiction and works for the story. His quick rescue of the young woman allows him time to discover the truths she is hiding in caring for her younger siblings. As a romance transpires between the two of them, they will each come to the others resuce before the story ends. In Haven, Dawson finds a woman worthy of his heart and love and when his life is placed on the line and he is wrongly accused of murder, he still does everything in his power to protect her and her sibings. It's so easy to fall in love with this McCade Brother but I will tell you, the trial in this story is one of the hardest things I have ever written. The emotions tied to the trial of Dawson and Leaning Bear were intense. And the ending, something that will make youy hold your breath for justice.
Dawson's love for Haven is a beautiful story and as you all know if you have been reading, these two will show up again and you'll get to see just how the family grows.
Excerpt:
She leaned against his shoulder studying the stone. “What just happened between us?” How was he to answer a question like that? Hell, he was more unnerved by what hadn’t happened, and the tightness of his buckskin trousers had relented little. He glanced across the meadow, his mind racing but his heart sure. “What would you want it to be?” The pink blush across her face hadn’t abated. “The beginning of something very beautiful.” He gave a slight chuckle. “If you knew my thoughts, you’d run faster than you did from those Dog Soldiers.” She took his hand again. “I have no fear of you, Dawson McCade.” He stood with a smile, tugging her up beside him. “You should.”
Blub:
When Dawson McCade rescues a woman from the hands of Dog Soldiers, he doesn't expect to nearly lose his life and his heart. Translating for the Cheyenne is risky, but protecting Haven Oakley may be the most dangerous thing he's ever done. When he is wrongly accused of murder, he finds himself injured and on the run. Clearing his name will be the biggest hurdle of his life, but nothing will keep him from the woman who has captured his heart.
Haven Oakley is fighting to keep her homestead, working the claim her father died to protect and raising her two younger brothers. Soft-Spoken, Buckskin-clad Dawson McCade is the first man she has ever loved. But all too soon, her dreams are crushed when Dawson is arrested. Racing against time and risking all she has, Haven fights to free him of the charges and save the love she'd thought lost.
