Life certainly has a way of throwing some curve balls, sometimes things just aren't what they seem. And that goes for people as well. On the surface THE RANCHER SHE LOVED appears to be a light hearted tale but Ann Roth throws a curve of her own in this well written story about finding yourself.

Sarah had a very sudden wakeup call when her mother Ellen passed away. Going through her papers she found her birth certificate that clearly showed that Sarah had been adopted. But if that's so why hadn't her parents ever told her. In this day and age people are more open about something that is no longer considered taboo. Now Sarah finds herself in a mission to see if there is any family out there. When her mother died she was left quite alone. That is how she wound up in Saddle Prairie.

Sarah had small bits of information on her biological mother. She knew the house Tammy Baker had lived in and that's where she was heading. But when she got to the house it was now owned by a man who had rented it out. And the current tenant was less than happy to see Sarah at his door. The last person she expects is former bull rider Clay Holster. She had written a less than complimentary piece about this man and judging from the reception she receives he was still harboring ill will towards the writer. But she really needed to speak to the owner of the house and see if he had any information that could lead Sarah to the previous owners.

Sarah as a free lance writer had written an article with Clay as the subject. At first she seemed rather taken with Clay and in honesty the feeling had been somewhat mutual. The one kiss they shared seemed really promising, at least that's the way Clay had felt. But he was surprised when after that one sizzling kiss Sarah seemed to avoid him like the plague. And to make matters worse and even more confusing her article painted Clay as a rather callus women's man. Sure the rodeo groupies hung around throwing themselves at the riders but Clay hadn't felt like he was one of the players. The rumor mill was hell bent on spreading rumors and truthfully there were lots of riders in the rodeo that found that a boost to their ego, but not Clay.

Now after a career ending injury he was in Saddle Prairie waiting to start his new life on a ranch. The only reason he was in this rental was waiting for the work to be done on what was to be his new home.

Clay just couldn't seem to turn a blind eye on Sarah's plight to find information on her birth parents. And surprisingly Clay finds himself a somewhat eager participant. His reasons were noble but he couldn't deny the pull towards Sarah.

There must be some townspeople who would remember Tammy Baker and her family. And Sarah feels so fortunate to have someone to turn to and who is truly supportive of her efforts. But even as grateful as Sarah is she can't seem to question his motives. Just why would this ex rodeo rider be so helpful especially to someone he totally doesn't trust. As Sarah begins to open doors to her past, she discovers something even more valuable, a path to her future.

THE RANCHER SHE LOVED is a lovely heartwarming story. Modern adoptions are intent in maintaining privacy at seemingly all costs. But finding out your heritage is something worthwhile and important to many adoptees. The road to discovery can be rocky at times but in the end hopefully rewarding. Ann Roth masterfully tells the tale of an adopted adult on a mission. The folks you meet along the way will win your heart.