Two families long divided by an ancient feud. Can a powerful love finally unite them?
Blade Hamilton is the last of his line. Heâs never even heard of Crossroads, Texas, until he inherits land there. Riding in on his vintage Harley-Davidson, Blade finds a weathered ranch house, an empty prairie and a dark river that cuts a decisive path between the Hamiltonsâ land and that of their estranged neighbors.
When Dakota helps a stranger on the roadside, she isnât prepared for the charisma of the man on the motorbikeâor for the last name he bears: Hamilton, of her familyâs sworn enemies, representing all sheâs been raised to loathe. The problem is, it looks like Blade is in town to stay, and thereâs something about his wolf-gray eyes she just canât ignore.
Lauren Brigman feels adrift. Unhappy in work and unlucky in love, she knows she ought to be striving for more, but sheâs never truly at peace unless sheâs at home in Crossroads. If the wider world canât satisfy her, is home truly where her heart is?
Praise for New York Times bestselling author Jodi Thomas and her Ransom Canyon series
âCompelling and beautifully written, it is exactly the kind of heart-wrenching, emotional story one has come to expect from Jodi Thomas.â
âDebbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author
âYou can count on Jodi Thomas to give you a satisfying and memorable read.â
âCatherine Anderson, New York Times bestselling author
âA fast pace and a truly delightful twist at the end.â
âRT Book Reviews on Sunrise Crossing
â[Sunrise Crossing] will warm any readerâs heart.â
âPublishers Weekly, A Best Book of 2016
âThis tale will grab readers, who will fall in love with the main characters and be just as enamored of the others.â
âLibrary Journal, starred review, on Lone Heart Pass
âThomas is a wonderful storyteller.â
âRT Book Reviews on Rustlerâs Moon
âWestern romance legend Thomasâs Ransom Canyon will warm readers with its huge heart and gentle souls.â
âLibrary Journal
âA pure joy to read.â
âRT Book Reviews on the Ransom Canyon series
Sometimes people come into my life who leave me with a greater understanding of this life we all live, and two of them are:
Ernestine WakefieldâBorn in 1926 in her grandparentsâ home five miles east of Jayton, Texas, Ernestine was one of those rare people you meet for a moment and know if you talked longer, you would become best friends. Iâll always remember one line she wrote: âBury me in boots and jeans because Iâll be heading into heaven two-stepping.â I smiled June 5, 2016, because I knew she was dancing.
Police officer Gerald E. âJerryâ ClineâMy character Jerry Cline is named after this policeman who died EOW (End of Watch) February 24, 1983, in the line of duty in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I never met Jerry, but I saw the love in his wifeâs eyes when she spoke of him one afternoon when we had lunch in Albuquerque. To all the men and women in blue, thank you for standing in harmâs way to keep us all safe.
PROLOGUE
The Ides of March, 2016
DEEP IN THE BACKCOUNTRY, where no paved roads cross and legends whisper through the tall buffalo grass, lies a lake fed by cold underground springs.
Indigo-colored water, dark and silent, moves over the pond where secrets hide just below the surface and an old curse lingers in silent ripples.
Two ranches border the shores. Two families who havenât spoken for a hundred years.
A few of the old-timers claim the water is darker on Indigo Lake because of the blood washed away there.
Only tonight, one man stands listening, debating, wondering if breaking tradition will save him or kill him.
CHAPTER ONE
Last day of February, 2016
BLADE HAMILTON WALKED to the dark waterâs edge and stared into Indigo Lake. He didnât belong here. He didnât belong anywhere. Heâd wasted his time coming to this nothing of a place.
By birth, the land was his. Youâre the last of your branch of the Hamilton line, the judge in Crossroads had said an hour ago when heâd handed over the deed to Hamilton Acres. Only, Blade had never heard of this old homestead before a week ago. Heâd known nothing about his father or a dilapidated ranch that carried his last name.