Lonely

By Mark McCord

Lonely Martin never expected to survive the Civil War-much less the life that waited for him after it. Once a nineteen-year-old rider with Quantrill's raiders, he carries the weight of choices he can't undo and a past he can't outrun. When he escapes a brutal prison sentence and is robbed and left for dead on the Texas prairie, he's taken in by two women who should have every reason to turn him away.

On the ranch, healing comes slowly. Trust comes slower. Netta Falcon-educated, widowed, and still carrying the quiet ache of a love she lost-offers him shelter alongside her sharp-tongued cook and confidante, Florabell O'Keefe. As Lonely works to earn his place, an unexpected bond forms between him and Netta: tender, complicated, and shadowed by the years and grief that separate them.

Their connection is undeniable, yet impossible to name. Netta guards her heart with the memory of the husband she adored. Lonely, younger and burdened by a violent past, struggles to believe he deserves anything as steady or as good as the affection growing between them. What rises between them is not a simple romance, but a quiet, aching pull-two wounded people circling the possibility of belonging, even as they fear what it might cost.

But the past has a long reach. Old loyalties, old enemies, and old sins threaten the fragile peace Lonely has built. When danger arrives at the ranch, he must confront the truth he's avoided for years-and choose between the man he was and the man he hopes to become, even if it means walking away from the only home, and the only woman, who ever made him believe he could change.

A story of redemption, found family, and the courage it takes to rebuild a life, Lonely blends historical authenticity with emotional depth. Perfect for readers who love character-driven Westerns, moral complexity, slow-burn emotional tension, and the powerful transformation of a wounded man learning how to live again.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GP63QZMS
• ISBN13: 9798248894062
• Release Date: June 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 270 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"