Matt Haskins proved to be the most difficult of all the
orphans in The Cowboys to write about. It's not easy to
make a hero out of a man who has been sexually molested,
especially when the abuse has given him a mental block
against physical contact. I had to find a way to make the
reader see that Matt's strength was of a different kind
from most cowboys. It was almost as difficult to make
Ellen Donovan see it.
Ellen's experience with men has been all bad. When she's
forced to marry Matt so they can each keep the children
they're trying to adopt, she's certain he has ulterior
motives. She sets up stringent conditions before agreeing
to the marriage of convenience. She expected Matt to
accept them -- she wouldn't have married him otherwise --
but she was a little surprised, and disappointed, when he
stuck to them after they were married. Ellen didn't want a
quiet, unassuming husband. She wanted one who would take
on the world in her defense. Matt had the size and the
strength, but she didn't see much else to recommend him.
Taking on the responsibility of the two boys Matt wanted
to adopt was one more thing she didn't need. She planned
to stay married just long enough so the crusading Revered
Wilbur Sears couldn't take her kids or Matt's boys. Then
she was headed for San Antonio to open her own hat shop.
But while Ellen was making plans to leave Matt and his two
troublesome boys behind, she discovered there was a lot
more to this good-looking cowboy than met the eye.