Where the Lost Wander: A Novel

Set on the Oregon Trail in 1853, this novel follows Naomi May, a widow at twenty who joins a wagon train heading West to escape her grief. On the journey, she meets John Lowry, a half-Pawnee man caught between two worlds, and the two form an immediate connection. The hardships of trail life—including peril, uncertainty, and death—test their bond. John's mixed heritage provides the wagon train safe passage through dangerous territory but also creates obstacles to their relationship as they attempt to build a future together. When tragedy strikes and decimates Naomi's family, separating her from John, the couple faces impossible circumstances. Unable to turn back or move forward, they must make difficult sacrifices in their efforts to reunite, survive, and ultimately come to terms with who they are.