Brandy, an orphan that grew up in a parsonage and was raised by Father Brown, is ill-prepared to take on the responsibility of the other five orphans when Father Brown dies, leaving her without any money and resources to make any!  Determined to keep the deathbed promise to Father Brown, Brandy has to find a way to keep their rag-tag, squabbling “family” together.  Thwarted by the townspeople and old rivalries within her family, Brandy accepts the only avenue available to her—she responds to an advertisement of a man looking for a wife.  Omitting some pertinent facts and outright lying on others, Brandy is happy to be able to take some of the money and pay off the parsonage’s debts in town and make way on a wagon trail towards her soon-to-be husband and her new life.

Thunder, half-breed and Cheyenne scout, is searching for something that he just can’t find.  Thinking that what he needs is his old home, among his Cheyenne brothers, and that he’s been among his white brothers for too long, he starts his trip towards his Indian settlement.  Waylaid by an old friend who needs a scout for his wagon train, Thunder accepts—but flat out refuses when Brandy, a woman who makes him feel things that are foreign and unwanted, pleads for him to take responsibility for their wagon.  Threatened by prejudice against his Indian blood, in order to keep from hanging, he is forced to bow to Brandy’s manipulation and agree to take her and her family on the wagon train.  Hounded by inexplicable feelings, Thunder cannot get Brandy out of his mind and mutual attractions encourage them to fall prey to a forbidden love that can never be, not when Brandy is on her way to meet her future husband.

DANCE ON THE WIND is an exciting story that firmly states that faith and love can see one through the tough times—along with one hot man! <G>  Brandy is thrust into a life that she is completely unprepared for and reading about her learning to do things on her own and persevere is the backbone of the story.  Thunder teaches her what she needs to know to survive, and she takes those lessons with her when they have to part ways.  Sticking together with her family and gaining the trust and respect of her siblings is another triumph for Brandy, and believe me, one of her sisters, Mary, doesn’t let up!  Brandy’s character is true to life, especially in the moments when Mary acts up, Brandy gets upset and she doesn’t become a martyr, believing that in order for everyone to be happy she needs to be a doormat.  The secondary characters; Brandy’s siblings and the wagon train members were well thought out and brought their own charm to the story, making the reader really feel that these are people who are just down the street.

The historical injustices that were portrayed against the Cheyenne in the story, while realistic, didn’t really further the plot.  It seemed to have been thrown in to make the story have a more historical flavor.  However, that isn’t a huge part of the story, and when you have emotional characters that you want to see excel and overcome their obstacles, it can easily be forgotten, especially since I believe that DANCE ON THE WIND is one of Ms. Jernigan’s best stories yet!