"A true delight in Western romance"

Brandon Calhoun was the top dog in Dutchman's Creek, Colorado. The only banker in town, he ruled the small community with a firm but usually fair hand. If only he could rule over his teenage daughter Jenny with as firm a hand. But his beautiful only child had a mind of her own, and that mind was set on marrying the handsome but poor Will Smith. To Brandon, marriage at Jenny's age or any age, for that matter, was a disaster waiting to happen, but when his daughter announced the wedding had been moved up because she was expecting Will's child, Brandon is desperate to break up the young couple's plans for a future life. He hopes to enlist the help of Will's sister, the town schoolteacher, Harriet Smith, but soon finds the young teacher has a lesson or two in life for him.

Harriet had big plans for her younger brother. Having raised him from childhood after their parents died, she had saved every dime she could in order to insure Will would have enough money to go away from Dutchman's Creek and further his education. So she was equally devastated by Will and Jenny's news of their upcoming marriage and future family. But Harriet also knew how important it was for families to stick together, and she took in the young couple after Jenny was kicked out of her home. Now it was up to Harriet to convince Brandon Calhoun that his daughter would be happy married to her brother. This was going to be tougher than teaching second-graders math.

Battling against one another, Harriet and Brandon soon find, to both their dismay, that they have an undeniable attraction to one another. As they struggle to cope with their younger family member's decisions as well as survive a series of accidents and kidnappings, Brandon is surprised to find his heart thawing and thoughts of being taught life's lessons by a certain pretty schoolmarm might be very pleasant after all.

Elizabeth Lane, author of "Her Dearest Enemy," is a talented writer who specializes in the warmest, most fascinating Western-themed romances in the industry. Her descriptions of the time and era that she writes of is accurate, and her characters sparkle with personality and wit. Each of her books is a true delight, a gem to be treasured.

Reviewed by Sharon Galligar Chance
Posted June 5, 2005