

But at the same time, he has powerful enemies in the tribe he deserted, enemies far too close for comfort in the woods around the Buckhannon.Īmid the Indian sightings and festival days at the fort, Tessa and Clay forge a bond that makes Tessa question what she wants in life–is this buckskin-wearing Colonel worth giving up her dreams of town living? Raised by the Lenape himself, his unique situation gives him the ability to mourn the injustices on both sides of the fighting between the settlers and the Indians. Keturah, Tessa’s childhood friend, stolen away by the Indians over ten years ago is back in body–but does her spirit long to be with her new family from the Lenape tribe? As Tessa tries to help Keturah remember her old life, the question is raised: who exactly is the “uncommon woman” of the title? Is it the Indian captive, Keturah, pulled between two worlds? Or is it the plainspoken but compassionate Tessa, determined to do right by her mother, brothers, and friend?Īs Tessa learns more about Colonel Tygart, she discovers that his upbringing parallels Keturah’s in far too many ways. When Colonel Clay Tygart, hero of the French and Indian War, comes to the nearby fort, he brings with him a blond-haired beauty that Tessa thought lost forever. Cooking and cleaning for five brothers seems to be her lot in life, however, and ever since the Indian raid that killed her father, the Swan siblings have kept one eye on the forest and one hand on their rifles at all times.


Raised in the wilds of the Virginia frontier, Tessa Swan yearns for flounced petticoats, imported spices, and all the trappings of civilization in far-off Philadelphia.
