The Morgan family has fallen on bad times. The year is 1932
and people just can't make ends meet and are faced with
losing all they worked for including their homes. The banks
coffers are filled with repossessed homes -- so many that
the banks don't really know how to manage them.
That's the battle Madge Morgan is fighting daily. Since her
father's death the family has had to give the bank much of
their land to settle that part of the mortgage. All they
have left is their home and it's pretty much a day to day
struggle to keep it. Madge will do just about any jobs that
are available in her little town including laundry and house
cleaning. It's a constant battle with dire circumstances
that pits ever present faith in her beliefs
that help sustain her mettle against the burgeoning odds.
When a newcomer arrives in town Madge finds herself in an
unusual position. An attraction between Justin aka Judd and
Madge puts them in an uncomfortable spot since Justin has
assumed the role of a tutor to Madge's sister. Unknown to
Justin the ad he wound up answering had a hidden agenda, it
seems Madge's mother was hoping not only for a tutor but a
potential husband for her rather frail daughter Louisa.
Justin is keeping his true identity under wraps. He is there
to track down the con man that duped his mother out of her
money and left her homeless. Madge harbors doubts about the
credibility of Justin's identity almost immediately since he
reminds her of a cowboy she literally ran into in town. But
she is willing to bide her time as long as Louisa's tutoring
needs are being met. Problem is the more time Madge spends
with Justin, the more she realizes that no matter what his
true identity is here is a man she would love to spend her
life with an untenable position that would put her in
competition with Louisa.
As Justin starts to reveal more of himself to Madge they
realize closeness neither had anticipated nor nurtured. They
just clicked. Madge was praying for a guiding hand to
see her through these hard times. Is it possible Justin was
the answer to those prayers? If so, how could they hope for
a future with the possibility of disappointing Louisa and
Madge's mother. And even more pressing was Justin's search
for revenge against the man who conned his mother. Seeking
revenge and coveting someone else's possible match goes
against everything Madge believes in.
The first thing I thought of while reading THE COWBOY TUTOR
was how time and history has a habit of repeating itself. It
is now 2011-2012 and many people are facing the same dilemma
that the characters of Linda Ford's book face. True with
more modern conveniences but when faced with devastating
shifts of economy the common denominator is keeping your
head above water. Ford does a remarkable job of recreating a
historical time with equal parts angst and hope.
Lesson One: Listen To Your Heart
With the mortgage due and funds scarce, Madge Morgan can’t
afford distractions. Especially not from Judd Kirk, her
sister Louisa’s meek tutor and—according to their mother’s
plans—suitor. Madge’s focus is on her housekeeping
job…little knowing Judd’s connection to her employer, or his
real reason for coming to Golden Prairie.
At last, Judd has found the man who swindled his mother. Yet
if he seeks revenge, he risks losing the one thing he wants
even more: a woman with faith enough to rekindle his own. A
woman with strong values and a gentle heart. A woman like
Madge.