C.H. Admirand, The Rancher's Heart

The Rancher's Heart

C.H. Admirand

Five Star, February 2007, $26.95

ISBN: 1594145717

In the 1860's in the Colorado Territory, Michael O'Toole vanished, leaving behind his wife Bridget, who believed he would return for her and their infant son Mick. She moved from town to town, where everyone assumed she was a fallen woman. After a dozen years pass without her spouse's return or any word from him, Bridget finally accepts she is a widow raising a son by herself.

To feed her growing offspring, Bridget starves herself, so a worried Mick joins a gang of cattle rustlers, only to be caught by the marshal and rancher James Ryan. Instead of hanging the lad, James takes a chance that the twelve year old is not a thief, but a desperate person. He invites mother and son onto his ranch, but she fears her reputation will destroy her host's due to guilt by association. Still, as they fall in love, encouraged by a preadolescent, his Texas "criminal" roots and her marital status threaten anything permanent.

THE RANCHER'S HEART is a terrific western romance, starring two likable protagonists with pasts that impact the present and how they relate to other adults. The storyline is character driven, though there is plenty of action, especially in the latter half of this late 1870's tale. Though the ending feels abrupt and too neatly packaged, sub-genre fans will enjoy C. H. Admirand's wonderful historical, due to the admirable courageous lead couple.