James L. Jensen

Emmeline James L. Jensen

Utah Territory?1868 Emmeline Bentley is savoring her freedom from a plural marriage to a Mormon cleric. New clothes and a hair style reveal a long submerged beauty, stimulating her to embark on a journey out of obscurity. She begins by meeting with a banker in Salt Lake City, who merges business with lunch and then the theater. At home, Emmeline's family presents her with a racing stallion. Totally black, and named Midnight, he becomes a racing sensation. Not being a gambler, however, Emmeline finds racing to be more fun than lucrative, so, with her business sense and courage driving her, she enters the boisterous town of Corinne, looking for a freighting outfit. She buys one, with foreman included, and travels to the Montana mines, looking for business. Emmeline attends the Promontory railroad celebration with friends. It is a "one of a kind" event, and good for business. She meets California Governor Leland Stanford, a race horse owner, and also finds a business partner. Within three years, she adds a hardware store and a railroad terminal partnership to her growing empire. While competing with men, Emmeline occasionally finds romance waiting in the wings, but tells her confidante, Martha, that no relationships are pending. Needing a new focus, she designs and has built a railroad coach for humans and animals. With Midnight and rider along, she travels to California, winning races, meeting people, and selling coaches. Arriving home, richer and rested, Emmeline is eager to see her family, but after a pleasurable period, an unfulfilled longing emerges. Recalling the men she has known, there are two who could make a difference: The Banker and a U. S. Marshal, who once saved her life. Selecting would be emotional, and might result in heartbreak, but Emmeline Bentley has never been a shrinking violet.