"A Sweet and Tender Western Romance"

Kara O'Riley's family is feuding with the McWimberly's. Kara's father buys her a train ticket and sends her off with instructions to not contact him for one year hopeful that the situation will be settled at that time. Trying to protect her, he also instructs her to keep moving so that the McWimberly's cannot find her. She is in Missouri in 1875 when she runs out of money. She answers an ad by a man who is going to Texas and is in need of a bookkeeper. She is willing to take any kind of a job to get out of Missouri and move west. Jonathan Catlin's lawyer has been interviewing people all day looking for someone willing to go to Texas for one year. Texas is an untamed and desolate land and he is unable to find anyone willing to take the position on the cattle ranch. Kara is his last hope. She accepts the position and they plan to leave the next morning.

Her employer, Jonathan Catlin, meets her and warns her of all the problems that she could encounter in Texas. When someone takes a shot at them on the way to the train, she is terrified that the McWimberly's have found her. She later finds out that Jonathan also has his own personal war with his neighbor, Wells. Raised by the Indians before he was rescued and returned to his family, Jonathan has felt ostracized by his own people and has drifted until he inherited the ranch from his grandmother.

Not only are the bad guys after Kara but bad guys are also after Jonathan. This sets up an interesting and adventurous story. Jonathan is rather a taciturn man and although he seems a bit frightening when Kara first meets him, she soon learns to feel very safe with him. He is generous and protective of her. They are fascinated with each other although they continually deny the attraction. The old guard (a group of retired lawmen who live out their lives on the ranch) are great secondary characters. Kara and Jonathan's romance develops slowly and tenderly. The hero and heroine are both wonderful characters and the book is everything a reader could want in a romance novel. Jodi Thomas has written several Texas Westerns and The Texan's Dream is one of the best.

Reviewed by Marilyn Heyman
Posted December 20, 2001