Lucky Red : a novel
(Book)

"'Some years ago, in Dodge, I was a sporting woman. I didn't mind whoring-it can be good work in the right house-but it demands a great deal of keeping still, and I'm one of those itchy, fidgety sorts who's always looking out the window or glancing toward the door, so it was only a matter of time until I had to move on.' In the Spring of 1877, Bridget-sixteen years old and already disillusioned after caring for her alcoholic father-is orphaned while crossing the Kansas prairie. She arrives penniless in Dodge City, and, thanks to the allure of her bright red hair and country-girl beauty, is soon recruited to work at the Buffalo Queen, the only brothel in town run by women. Bridget takes to brothel life instantly, appreciating the good food, good pay, and good friendships she forms with her fellow "sporting women," even catching the eye of the town's Sheriff's Deputy, who offers the Queen protection and security. Then, Spartan Lee-the most legendary (and only) female gunfighter in the region-rides into town, and Bridget falls in love. Hard. Sick of having been pushed and pulled by other people's whims and decisions, Bridget resolves to claim her own destiny. But her quest for autonomy detonates a series of events that explodes the tenuous safety she's secured for herself and her friends at the Buffalo Queen"--,Provided by publisher.