The book revolved around three high school kids in a small town, two boys and a girl. I think the girl had recently moved to town, possibly from down south somewhere, and had befriended the two boys. One of the boys I remember being more awkward and emotional than the other. They have a spot in the woods that they meet up. Both boys fall for the girl, and eventually the girl falls for the not-awkward boy. Awkward boy catches other boy and girl either dancing or kissing in the school gym, and reacts badly. Girl goes to the special spot in the woods and finds that awkward-boy has hung himself. Possibly an 80’s Avon Camelot book.

The book I’m looking for was published 1970s-1980s. It takes place in the country, and horses figure prominently.
The plot is that a 17-18 year old girl is in love with a slightly older man. They live on farms near each other. His family is wealthy and raises prize horses. Her name is Ellen, his is john Waters or Watson. She keeps coming by to watch him train horses, and eventually they have relations. After she tells him she’s pregnant, he goes away on business. Meanwhile his family’s prize horse is stolen, and vanishes. While Ellen waits for John to return, her pregnancy advances. At the end of the story, she goes for a walk, and by chance discovers the stable where the prize horse is hidden. She goes into labor, and barely makes it into the stable before she passes out. When she comes to, her baby boy is wrapped in a flannel shirt. John is there, and finally admits the baby is his.
I know this is a weird plot line, but can you help me remember the title? I’d love to have it if I could find it because it was a coming of age story for me.

I am looking for a book written before 1978.  The storyline is that a man from the Northeast travels to the Southwest because he has a lung ailment.  He is of modest means when he arrives at his new home but over time becomes wealthy and successful.  He becomes the owner of a Hacienda, not just of a large house but basically the owner of a large cattle ranching operation.  He marries a beautiful Hispanic woman who is much younger than he is.  She later betrays him with a young American cowboy.  The workers on the Hacienda learn what has happened and they let the hero know that they will kill the Cowboy if that is what he wants.  The hero of the story decides that he loves both his friend and his young wife (whom he feels guilty for marrying) and decides to spare the lovers.  However, the shame of the situation means that he must abandon his home and much of the great wealth he has accumulated. 

When the man first arrived in town he had almost nothing.  When he leaves, even though he is abandoning great wealth, he is riding a very expensive horse on a saddle with silver buckles, silver spurs, etc.  He is armed and has money in his saddlebags.  The idea is that despite all he is losing he is much better off than when he arrived.  The only relatively precise quote that I can remember from the book is: “Ten years is only an long time at the beginning or very end of a man’s life.”

This book may have been a Readers Digest Condensed book.  It may also have been written by a Mexican author and translated or an American author with ties to the Southwest and the Hispanic community.  The cultural norms play a large role in the book.

I read this book between 1972 and 1978.