Sarah's Secret
New Audiobook Edition
Discover how secrets once buried deeply emerge to threaten Sarah's survival. Her determination and grit are sorely tested!
It's 1911. Sarah's husband Sam has died, and now she must rebuild her life and care for their five children on her own. She decides it best to move back to Nebraska, near her family. So, she uproots her children from their New Mexico homestead and travels by covered wagon across the Plains. Thus begins this Western tale of Sarah and Sam.
a man and a woman's shared destiny in the great plains
Sarah's marriage to Sam has ended with his death, and now she must raise their five children alone. It's a heavy burden that she now carries. The rugged New Mexico Great Plains in the early 1900s provides little to no sustenance from the land. She has no income, and to survive, she applies for a widow's pension from Sam's Civil War service in the Army.
But the Army replies to her pension inquiry with shocking news that further tears Sarah's world apart.
Who was this man, Sam, who she trusted and married?
The Characters
Sarah Armstrong Martin is a petite, black-haired young schoolteacher in Glendo, Wyoming. She's beautiful but also tough and resilient, despite her crippling arthritis.
Sam Martin is handsome, lanky, and 30 years older than Sarah. He's a Civil war veteran whose failing health impels him to move with his family to dry New Mexico, 6 miles from Tucumcari, to establish a new homestead.
Daniel Martin is barely sixteen when he must step up to manhood to protect his family during the perilous wagon journey across the Plains. He's Sarah's and Sam's oldest son, and his siblings and their ages are Joe (14), Charlie (10), Petey (4) and Patricia (a baby still nursing).
Mrs. Rice owns a store and temporary campground in Hudson, New Mexico.
Barney Plemons aids Sarah to ford the Canadian River with her wagons, a treacherous crossing known for quicksand bogs and strong currents.
The Jones Family, Alida, George and son Jessy are descendants of slaves, now living in Nicodemus, Kansas. They befriend Sarah at a time of crisis.
Will wanders through the Plains as free as a tumbleweed. Or, so he would like others to think. He reveals little to those who he encounters, remaining unfathomable.
Tom is the lead point driver on the cattle drive crew, used to the skittish ways of the Texas longhorn cattle. He initiates Will into cowboy life on the trail.
Peggy barely hangs on to her homestead in Kansas, despite having buried her husband and 2 children there beneath the sod. She and her remaining 2 children live a precarious, lonely life.
Preacher John roams the Plains to provide solace and prayer to the isolated homesteaders, after losing his own family to raiding Comanches.
Robert Armstrong is Sarah's brother, now living in Thedford, Nebraska. He and his wife Millie welcome Sarah home and provide refuge at last.
Henry Jones, a "government man," bears news about Sarah's long-awaited "Widow's Benefits" from Sam's Union Army service.
Mr. Danzier, School Board President in Thedford, Nebraska, carries out a family grudge and tries to thwart Sarah's attempts to get a job as a teacher.
About the Author
Bev (Beverly) Scott
"Sarah’s Secret: A Western Tale of Betrayal and Forgiveness," Bev’s debut novel, is the culmination of her long-held desire tell the family story and confirm the whispered story about her grandfather.
Since her family story left many "loose ends" that will never be discovered, Bev chose to create a fictional account that incorporates some of this family story. She ended up with a tale about Sarah and Sam, who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the American West.
Bev had specialized in serving executives and managers as a leadership coach and organizational consultant for over thirty-five years. She taught organization psychology and founded "The 3rd Act," a program whose mission supports positive aging. As she grew into her own third act, she started a genealogical journey to uncover the details of her grandparents’ lives. This led to her decision to write a novel, incorporating some of her research into a fictional account. She first published "Sarah's Secret" in print and e-book format in 2017.
Bev previously focused on publishing non-fiction work, including the second edition of "Consulting on the Inside," which she co-authored with Kim Barnes, published in 2011. She has written numerous professional articles and contributed to "70 Things to Do When You Turn 70," edited by Ronnie Sellers and Mark Chimsky.
Bev enjoys traveling, visiting with friends, reading and spending time with her grandsons. She lives with her spouse in San Francisco.
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