Review: a story that woes your heart
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 24, 2012
This is a plus, plus read for me: horses, a little suspense and warm family romance.Jenny is a strong woman fighting to continue the success of the cattle ranch she and her husband, Rick, struggled to build. Jenny has learned that she has to be tough so she isn't taken advantage of in the competitive and tough world of cattle breeding. Her husband has been dead for several years and in addition to the ranch, Jenny has her hands full with their 10 year old son, Zach.Gil is the 32 year old son of the ranch foreman. He has returned home to recover from injuries received in Iraq. Gil is glad to have the hard ranch work to distract him from his war memories. Even more distracting is the feisty boss lady. Even though she is experienced and capable it is clear that she is trying to handle everything by herself. When he sees her face down a rogue horse he is ready to step in and protect her. She may not think she wants or needs another man around, but Gil is determined to show her he is the right man to help her with the ranch and with raising a young boy.It is wonderful that Gil realizes the importance of developing a relationship with Zach as well as going slowly with Jenny. Jen has to be coaxed to see that she can take the risk of loving again.The characters are real and draw you into their world. Even young Zach is a well developed character and you can feel the exuberant boy in him. The author portrays good detail for the cattle ranching and breeding business that provides fullness for the setting and plot. There are trained horses, horses to be trained and foals to marvel over. The plot includes a bit of thievery and suspense, in addition to the romance. Both plot elements kept me interested in how things would be handled.There are gentle themes of forgiveness and obedience together with underlying threads of lives grounded in faith, miracles and blessings. The writing flows beautifully.  Although there were one or two minor items that seemed repeated that didn't bother my full enjoyment.  This is a truly lovely, sweet read that will leave you with a nice "ahhh" felling when it is done.