Rose Donahue was only seventeen when her life was turned upside down. Rose was a young child when her family came from Ireland in hopes of a better life. Things seemed to be going well. They had acquired a tiny homestead in Texas, and her father enjoyed working on the land. Rose being an only child, was close to her parents. A band of Apache Indians attacked the homestead. Rose's mother sent her into a hidey hole under the floor where they kept their potatoes and onions. When Rose came out of the cellar, the house had been burned to the ground, and her parents were dead.

Travis Caldwell has been trapping since he was a young boy, he had always been a loner. When he saw smoke he went to investigate. Seeing Rose rise out of the ashes alarmed him at first. He took her with him. Neither of them realized that one of the Indians that attacked the homestead was watching, and is determined to have Rose for his squaw. Rose convinced Travis to take her to California, where her only remaining family was. Was Travis able to reunite Rose with her family, and was he able to protect her from the Indian, who was obsessed with her?

Gold Rush Dream was a short audiobook, but each moment is chock full of action. Rose was a very tough young lady, the tenacity she showed by overcoming such tragedy, was amazing. With Rose's red hair and blue eyes, the Indian who pursued her believed she had the spirit of fire and water and thought by taking her to his tribe, they would respect him. While the author didn't give a great description of Travis, his kind, caring, compassionate acts toward Rose, allowed the listener to see how beautiful he was on the inside.