The problem with Jordan was that she could fend for herself, and there wasn’t one person in Sutter’s Corner who wanted to challenge her. The problem with Jordan was that she wasn’t too finicky or particular as to how she fended for herself. If someone came up missing a few eggs, or some corn from the garden, or a ham from the smokehouse, they might grumble a bit, but all in all, folks thought it a small price not to be responsible for the girl who had a mind of her own and the devil’s own temper! The problem with Jordan was that she’d never ‘fended for herself’ from the newcomer, Cray McCormick. Cray moved west after the Civil War ended, determined to make a new life for himself away from the hatreds on both sides. There was nothing left of his family farm worth saving since soldiers from both sides stayed there and trampled what was once fertile soil, and the house hadn’t been much to begin with. Cray’s brothers both died during the war, and there was no other family; their parents were both orphans with no siblings.
