Harmony Cross is a lady who knows how bad life can be. She's turned around, gone to rehab and junked the toxic prescription drug habit. Now she's back home in Dawson, Oklahoma, hoping to reconnect with her faith and herself. The girl who used to ride barrels surfaces when she spots a neglected Appaloosa in a corral, and she steps in to buy him from a farmer grieving for his lost soldier son.

SINGLE DAD COWBOY is Dylan Cooper, who went to school with Harmony but didn't see eye to eye with the rich girl. The two kids he cares for aren't his, but he took them on after their mother died. Now he hauls Harmony's new horse to her home. That's one fine horse, or he will be once he's fed, but he's never been broken and Harmony isn't physically strong due to a car accident. To stop everyone in town worrying, Dylan offers to stop by and help anytime; while he thinks it would be great if Harmony played with the kids occasionally and got family off his back about his needing to find a lady friend. Harmony resents interference, but they do live close to each other, and well-meaning people, like the preacher and his wife, keep coming to see if she's okay. Maybe they could both get some peace, though she's determined not to lie to anyone.

Dylan is weary. Two kids under five, car seats and responsibilities, make him feel older than his age, while his single friends can go out dancing. Harmony surprises herself by enjoying the senseless chatter of toddlers in the diner, taking her mind off herself. These are two interesting people, young to have experienced so much, with a lot to work through before they can feel free again. I took no time in deciding I liked them both.

This is part of the Cooper Creek series so we meet other characters over family meals. However I found the story held together well as a standalone. Harmony raises the issue of having a birth mother who was an addict, and wonders if it led to her own problems, so we can reflect on the long-term damage that drugs do to our society. Brenda Minton writes about incredibly real people, accompanied by animals, laughter and some tears. She says SINGLE DAD COWBOY will be the final book in this series but I'm sure she'll keep bringing us more tales of people learning to trust themselves and love one another.