Ryan once again brings us some wonderful characters who quickly find a way in our heart. There's no denying her talent in developing great multidimensional personalities faced with sometimes difficult life changing events. But what captures my imagination is her inclusion of some magical moments that can only be accepted with a measure of faith.

The story begins in 1982 in the tiny town of Paintbrush Wyoming with the picture of three boys trying to get past the trauma of losing their mother - a woman who disappeared without a trace. Jake was the youngest at just seven whose life was dominated by a loving but grieving father Cole Conway and paternal grandfather Big Jim.

Then fast forward to the present with Meg Stanford returning to Paintbrush reluctantly to say the least. She never planned to step foot on her father Porter's ranch ever again. This was a man who systematically chased away his first two wives. Upon her arrival she discovers a seven year old half brother Cory whose mother died two years before. Now with Porters sudden death Cory is left alone, scared and has been living in the barn with his beloved horse. So sad, and yet he has managed being all alone until her arrival.

Meg is instantly taken with the plight of this young boy. Cory seems determined to keep her at arm's length. Her first job is to settle the estate, auction off the ranch assets and get the ranch ready to sell. Next step would be to decide what to do with her newly discovered brother. She thought it could be accomplished in a relatively short time -- covered by her temporary absence from her law firm but it quickly becomes obvious that this is going to take much longer.

In fact this may wind up a very eye opening visit to her past, one ripe with bad feelings and events better left in the past. There seems to be no denying that an important part of Meg belongs on this ranch and in this town. And the attraction to her neighbor Jake is still another pull. The Conway's open their hearts and ranch to help out when life on the ranch gets precarious for Meg to face alone with a little boy. The longer Meg stays the more of her heart she invests in the ranch, town, brother and truthfully Jake and his family. But before she can come to grips with this new wrinkle in her life, she must face the demons of her past and her relationship with her father.

I'm hard pressed to decide what I like more, stories about cowboys or Native Americans. JAKE satisfies my need for both, capturing life on a modern ranch complete with rugged ranchers and characters with a connection to the tribes that inhabited those lands with an innate bond with the land and belief in the powers of their predecessors. Although this book completes the series based on the three Conway brothers it definitely stands on its own. Once again a glorious picture of the west from one of my favorite authors.