The Soldier's Promise (American Post-Civil War Westerns) by William Black

After his service in the Union Army, Damon Jarret’s only goal is to fulfill a promise he made to his dead brother-in-arms and return an heirloom to his lost kin.

But the Oregon Trail is long – and it’s just as rabid as the war he left behind.

Before setting off, Damon joins the Union Pacific side of the immense transcontinental railroad project and makes his way across a frontier filled with new settlers braving the isolated landscape, hostile Indians, and… men who want to tempt and swindle railroad workers. Men like Harris Gill.

Gill’s cheated his way into corrupted fortunes from gambling and prostitution, and until Damon shows up, nobody stands in his path.

Harris Gill wants to keep it that way.

Amid the harshness of the Great Plain, Damon’s rough voyage to return the heirloom is cushioned when he meets Johanna Chamberlain, a widow whose life has been upended by the same desperadoes and Indians that Damon has become ensnared within.

With Johanna’s help, Oregon is finally in reach and Damon’s quest of honor might be fulfilled.

But how will Damon and Johanna overcome the hostile crossing of the plains? Or will tracks be laid down over their graves?

Another classic western with respectful romance and women as strong frontier folk from author William Black.

Each book in the American Post-Civil War Westerns series is a standalone story that can be read out of order.