It starts as a Martha Stewart-style fantasy. When newlywed gardening magazine editor Laura Von Baden and her husband, Thomas, purchase 40 acres of land in northwestern Colorado, Laura envisions a picturesque rural retreat; and discovering she’s pregnant only fuels her passion for creating the ideal country home—an escape from city stresses—for her family. But the dream starts to unravel when Laura and Thomas find themselves plagued with absentee landowner responsibilities as a menacing neighbor trespasses, floods their land, and swindles them out of water and mineral rights.As the neighborly dispute degenerates into a full-blown feud, Laura begins to see an explosive, frighteningly irrational side to city-bred Thomas, who starts spending spend more and more time up on their 40 acres, even as a pregnancy complication leaves Laura bedridden in Denver, her career and marriage in jeopardy.A rich cast of characters, including Laura’s new-age best-friend Serrine, her career-challenged brother Lester, their eccentric mother, an unusual mountain man, and a Native American high school teacher/deputy sheriff, all play warm and sometimes comic roles as the crises around Laura escalate toward an unexpected but wholly satisfying conclusion.In ROAD SHOES, author Darla Worden addresses a large number of topics of current interest: the subdividing of the West into “vanity ranches”; the baby-boomer propelled gardening boom; survivalists; Native American rights and artifacts; and new-age ideas. Worden successfully integrates these diverse elements to create a fascinating, deep-textured—and often humorous—environment in which the story’s emotional events unfold.“Worden has a gift for writing in general, a fresh and appealing voice, and a flair for ironic humor and social satire.”“Road Shoes is a fun, modern, wild-western romp that also touches a need to connect. An insightful read.”