Snow Blind - Lori G. Armstrong [0]
Printed in USA
Published 2008 by Medallion Press, Inc.
Th
e MEDALLION PRESS LOGO
is a registered trademark of Medallion Press, Inc. If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment from this “stripped book.”
Copyright © 2008 by Lori G. Armstrong
Cover Illustration by Adam Mock
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law.
Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fi ctionally. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Typeset in Adobe Caslon Pro
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN: 9781933836591
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
My family complains I usually thank them last, so I’m thanking them fi rst: Lauren, Haley, Tessa— every damn day I’m so proud to be your mom. Mr. LGA—thanks for letting me live my dream; you’re the biggest part of it.
For my Grandma, Mary Maxine Austin Knickrehm: yes, I believed you when you swore interesting things do happen at old folks’ homes, and thank you for planting the germ of an idea in my head. I’m so lucky to have you in my life.
Th
anks to Kerry Estevez of Medallion Press for bringing another Julie Collins book to the lineup; to my editor, Helen Rosburg, for ‘getting’ Julie’s voice and letting me stay true to it; and to Adam Mock for another brilliant cover.
Again, a huge debt of gratitude to my invaluable crit partner, Mary LaHood, who’s been with me on Julie’s journey since day one, who never balks at my tight deadlines and keeps me honest. Gracias to my fellow author and friend Mario Acevedo for the help with Spanish language phrases. Errors in translation belong to me. I bow to the expertise of Jane Wipf Pfeifl e—friend, attorney, judge, voracious reader, supermom, Jane-of-all-trades—my inside source on legal matters in the state of South Dakota: once again you rocked me with your generosity. Ditto to my buddy and author JD “Dusty” Rhoades for answering other lawyerly questions with good humor. Any mistakes are mine to bear.
A million thanks to Montana rancher Sarpy Sam (www.sarpysam. com) for helping with this greenhorn’s questions. Your insight and knowledge of cattle and ranching in the modern day Wild West were amazingly helpful. Any inaccuracies fall squarely on my shoulders. Dr. Doug Lyle, who never bats an eye when I pose very bizarre questions and is eager and prompt in his responses. Th ank you, doc.
My fellow First Off enders, Alison Gaylin, Jeff Shelby and Karen Olson; for friendship above and beyond what we ever envisioned. Other writer friends who keep me sane, make me laugh, are great for a good cry or a good drunk, my biggest cheerleaders: Cat Cody, Toni McGee Causey, Mary Stella, Karen Hall.
Readers, fans, librarians, bookclubs, bookstores…thanks for the support; I am humbled and deeply grateful.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
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