Jumping Off Places

Cedar Fort Publishing & Media Verified independent store

→

In 1844 Quincy, Illinois, banker's daughter Nell Baker defies her family to marry Tom Mortenson, a Mormon farmer—though she never truly believes his faith. When Tom leaves to help settle the Salt Lake Valley, Nell waits three long years before setting out alone with her toddler across the perilous plains. Facing treacherous guides, buffalo, wolves, Indians, childbirth, and her own hidden guilt, she is transformed by the journey. A sweeping frontier romance about faith, courage, and finding home. A woman crosses the entire American frontier alone with a toddler—driving her own wagon, shooting her own game, and burying the men who fail her. A love story built on a secret: Nell marries her Mormon husband while never once believing his faith—and must finally tell him the truth. The rare pioneer heroine who is neither saint nor victim: she swears, she doubts, she kills to survive, and she refuses to be owned. A frontier saga that ends where most begin: with Brigham Young at the supper table and one man's quiet 'no' to polygamy. Perfect for an adult reader who enjoys strong-heroine pioneer sagas and Mormon historical fiction with a clean but frank romantic thread. Show more