Coming home from a long stint in the marines was something Tomas "Tuf' Hart relished. His home town of Roundup hasn't seemed to have changed all that much but he certainly has. That's one of the reasons why he didn't returned home immediately after leaving the service. He had needed some time to recover -- but truth be told there were some things he doubted he would ever fully recover from. Nightmares and flashbacks were on ongoing problem.

While growing up in Roundup there was a great deal of tension between the Harts and Wrights and that basically put a kibosh on any interaction between Tomas and the beautiful red headed Cheyenne Wright. Wouldn't you know it. The first person Tuf meets up with on his way to his homecoming is none other than Cheyenne who is frantically chasing down her little girl Sadie. Cheyenne and her twin daughters Sadie and Sammie had returned to Roundup after the end of her marriage.

It seemed as though the relationship between the Wrights and the Harts had taken a dramatic turn. The families had been united in a marriage and Cheyenne's father had definitely cleaned up his act. It seemed to Tuf that every where he turned marriages were blooming leaving him the odd single man out. And somehow he found himself spending a great deal of time with Cheyenne's little girls.

The more time the more these little girls come to mean to Tuf and his attraction to Cheyenne is growing with each day. But he still has a great many issues that are unresolved and it makes him wary to get involved with this little family that has its own set of problems. They certainly didn't need to deal with his.

Cheyenne is no fool. Tuf is good for her and the girls but she knows he is keeping a well constructed wall between them. The only way they could move forward is to chip away at that wall. That means convincing Tuf that they are strong enough together to face any of their challenges.

Tuf hels bring closure for Cheyenne and her girls so they can all finally move one. Cheyenne and the girls give Tuf new direction -- finally allowing him to move on towards a happy and warm future. Something he isn't even aware he is missing or looking for.

Welcome back to Roundup where everyone knows your name and your business. Small town living at its best is handled in this lovely installment in the Roundup series by Linda Warren. Don't worry if you've missed any part of the series -- Ms. Warren makes sure that TOMAS: HOMECOMING COWBOY stands on its own merit. Of course it is nice to be reacquainted with the families. The story is chock full of wonderful characters delightfully real and vulnerable. I certainly am looking forward to the next in this series with contributions from a wonderful group of authors.