Photos by Scott WalzKatherine writes historical and contemporary romances. Her completed manuscript and multiple contest finalist is THE RUBY BROOCH, a romantic mystery set in 1852.

A lone survivor of a crash that killed her parents and fiancé, grief-stricken paramedic Kit MacKlenna makes a startling discovery that further alters her life. A faded letter reveals she was abandoned as a baby on the doorsteps of MacKlenna Mansion’s east portico. The only clues why are a blood-splattered shawl, a portrait miniature of a nineteenth-century man, an Oregon Trail journal, and a Celtic brooch with mystical powers. Kit is swept back in time to 1852, assumes the identity of an eccentric widow, and attempts to unravel the journal’s secrets to solve a murder and uncover her identity.

Cullen Montgomery, a libertine and temporary wagon train scout, whistles Bach and quotes Shakespeare. The Highland born, San Francisco bound lawyer with a life plan firmly in place, quickly sets his sights on seducing the eccentric ‘widow’ named Kit who has joined up with the convoy of wagons under his protection. Her odd vocabulary and magical medicines along with her quirky behavior only increase his desire to know everything about the mysterious, self-sufficient female.

As the wagons roll westward, disease, tragedy, and murder confront them, and Kit must choose to redefine her concept of family. In the midst of newly found strength and purpose, she is forced to return to her own century, surrendering hope of finding her lost Highlander who has a timeless hold on her heart.