Part of Enduring Hope
First published 2026
Lily Mae Dodge escapes Wyoming under cover of darkness. Ten years have passed since her mother placed her on an orphan train heading west. Now Lily travels back east, determined to find the woman who sent her away. Chicago police arrest her during her search. On the train, she meets Francis Basnett, a circus worker with a rare vision condition who offers assistance. Francis works as a roustabout for the Hagenbeck-Wallace circus and helps Lily secure a job with the traveling show. Their partnership deepens into romance as Lily continues hunting for clues about her mother's whereabouts. Success appears within reach until disaster strikes without warning. A runaway troop train crashes into their stationary circus train during the night. The collision kills dozens of performers and workers, destroying the life Lily has built and threatening her hopes of reunion.
Genres: drama, romance, american-fiction, historical-fiction, adventure
Vibes: atmospheric, bittersweet, emotional, poignant, suspenseful
Tropes: forced-proximity, found-family, search-for-identity, second-chance-romance
Setting: Wyoming, Chicago, Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus
Period: 19th-century, late-1800s
256 pages · Paperback · Barbour Fiction
Content warnings: death