Virgin Spring is the story of Nic Nichols, a rebellious teenager from the Midwest who has long had dreams of becoming a rodeo cowboy. A year before he is eligible for military service in World War II, he gets a lucky break: his parents send him to Arizona in a last-ditch effort to encourage him to finish high school. There, his passion is broncos rather than books, and his penchant for trouble continues to plague him as he tangles with rustlers, wrangling, and rodeos. But it is his friendship with an old vaquero and his romance with a young Apache woman that transform Nic into a man. Through the legend of Virgin Spring, he discovers the timelessness of love. This poignant tale evokes both the history and magic of the Southwest. "In G. N. Buffington's engaging and strongly written Virgin Spring, Nic turns into a cowboy before our eyes ."
-Richard Bradford, Author of the Classic, Red Sky at Morning
"An engaging novel that captures the spirit of a time and place over which World War II casts its long shadow. Highly recommended."
-Marc Simmons, Southwest Historian and Author of Ranchers, Ramblers, and Renegades and Others
