A Cowboy for Keeps
by Jody Hedlund
Publisher : Bethany House Publishers (January 5, 2021)
File size : 9179 KB
Print length : 333 pages
Genre: American, Christian, Historical Romance, Western
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0.
Greta Nilsson's trip west to save her ailing little sister, Astrid, could not have gone more wrong. First, bandits hold up her stagecoach, stealing all her money. Then, upon arriving in Fairplay, Colorado, she learns the man she was betrothed to as a mail-order bride has died. Homeless, penniless, and jobless, Greta and her sister are worse off than when they started.
Wyatt McQuaid is struggling to get his new ranch up and running and is in town to purchase cattle when the mayor proposes the most unlikely of bargains. He'll invest in a herd of cattle for Wyatt's ranch if Wyatt agrees to help the town become more respectable by marrying and starting a family. And the mayor, who has promised to try to help Greta, has just the candidate in mind for Wyatt to marry.
Review:
Greta agreed to move west to Colorado as a mail order bride. She is willing to marry a stranger in hopes that the weather in the west will help her little sister, Astrid. A day away from her destination the stagecoach is robbed. Then she arrives to learn that her fiancé is believed to have died. The mayor in town, who wants more families in the community, decides that the best plan is to have Greta marry a local rancher, Wyatt.
Wyatt is struggling to make his ranch successful, and he has not thought about finding a wife and growing a family. He is competing with a brutal neighbor who is willing to kill Wyatt’s cattle rather than allow him to succeed. Wyatt wants the mayor to invest in the future of his ranch by financing the first herd of cattle. The mayor makes a deal agreeing to invest if Wyatt will marry Greta.
Both Greta and Wyatt come to the Judge with doubt and concerns, but they agree to get married. Greta manages to find ways to contribute to the household. But Wyatt worries about his cattle and Greta worries about Astrid’s health. As they face hostile neighbors and fragile health issues, they begin to find a mutual respect and attraction. Will they be able to move beyond their doubts to begin to trust each other and most importantly to trust God’s love and plan to prosper them?
Greta and Wyatt are wonderful and compelling characters. Greta showed sacrificial care for her sister which was lovely. Wyatt too showed a great caring for Greta and Astrid as did his friend and ranch hand, an older cowboy who became close friends with Astrid. The self-doubt that the characters struggle with is a realistic human flaw that allowed the author to show the depth of God’s love and grace in a gentle fashion. I found myself drawn into the story and eager to keep reading as I rooted for Greta and Wyatt. I recommend this to fans of Christian, historical romance.
Source: NetGalley 2020. This qualifies for 2021TBR and 2021NetGalley goals.
