Hidden Valley

About the Book

Shortly after their father disappeared, Pricilla Arnett and her younger sisters watched their mother die just inside the door of an orphanage. The younger girls were soon adopted. Not until she was offered a job at an orphanage in Arizona did she believe that her life could be better.

At age ten, Wes Morley, Jr. was sent to an uncle's after the death of his mother. Not until he was sent away to college did he develop a relationship with his father and learn of his vast holdings. Only days before his father's death he learned startling details of the circumstances of his birth.

As he fled a life that was suddenly out of control, Wes met Pricilla rushing to catch a train to Arizona. Their brief encounter is the beginning of a story that winds its way through the Southwest. Wes valiantly follows every lead, tracks down every underhanded ranch hand, and exposes devious family members as he works to recover his inheritance and his way back to Pricilla.

This is the story of two young people who overcome childhood tragedies and prove that friends are the family one chooses for themselves.

About the Author

Frances Gaddy Stegall, 95, published her first book at age 91. Since then she has worn out four typewriters telling stories about people who lived on ranches as she did. She is now learning to use a computer as she writes a fourth book. She lives independently in Muleshoe, Texas where she continues to attend church and participate in the lives of her son, two grandsons and three great-grandchildren.