Lori Beasley Bradley

The Ruby Queen Lori Beasley Bradley

Mattie Wallace is rejected by her family and her community, when she refuses to marry one brother - because she loves the other. Labeled a trollop and run out of town, she finds herself on the road with meager possessions and little money. Soon, Mattie meets Roxana: a woman in the Trade. Mattie is impressed with Roxie's confidence, independence, and her lovely wardrobe, and also with the fact that Roxie has made herself a life that is not dictated by a man. Mattie joins Roxie on her way to a new and profitable life in the West, where women are few and men are willing to pay for their company. Making her way to Abilene, Kansas - a cow town where cowboys spend their money on whiskey and women - Mattie soon learns the ways of the women in the Trade, and the hazards of the west.