An amusing and beguiling tale begins with a girl, her lame
mule and raggedy dog, making their way along roads through
nowhere as she tries to reach her relatives. It's 1896 and
Texas varies between unpopulated and overly prim where
young women are concerned. Should anyone know Ivy Feagan
has been alone for a few days, her reputation will be
ruined. Only... who's to care? She's an orphan. She's
also a LONE STAR HEIRESS.
Winnie Griggs always tells a fun tale of real people living
the dusty life, and I fell for talkative Ivy from the first
page. Mitch Parker is a schoolteacher and as luck would
have it he's the first person Ivy encounters in days. His
sudden appearance, harmless though he is, scares her so she
falls from a mulberry tree and hits her head. Understanding
that concussion is dangerous and scalp wounds bleed easily,
Mitch administers first aid and puts her up in his summer
cabin to rest. Ivy warns him off, but he's quick to assure
her that she's safe. Only, how to observe the proprieties?
The town of Turnabout is well established and when Mitch
brings Ivy to conduct her business, she gets bad news. Her
inheritance of a cattle ranch has been complicated by a
death. With another claimant, the matter won't be plain
sailing. Other characters in the busy town include Reggie,
a lady who is a photographer, and Carter, the son of Ivy's
father's partner, who is disgruntled to be told that he may
have to split his inheritance. He grew up on the ranch
and helped to improve it from stones and brush. Ivy's not
afraid of hard work either, and she takes a couple of jobs
to keep her while the matter is being deliberated. One of
the jobs is housekeeping for Mitch, quite respectable. If
she but knew it, she's starting to change the way he thinks
about women. Entertainingly, the town's unmarried ladies
start to see Mitch in a new light too.
A sinister note is added when we see that inheriting wealth
can cause jealousy, but in general I found this an
easygoing read about growing into a new life and improving
the lives of others. Winnie Griggs has written a
series set in Turnabout called Texas Grooms of which
this
is the last instalment. She intends to return to the town
in future books. If you haven't visited yet, LONE STAR
HEIRESS is a perfect reason to get to know the townsfolk
while you enjoy this sweet historical romance.
Plucky Ivy Feagan is headed to Turnabout, Texas, to claim an
inheritance, not a widower's heart. That all changes when
strapping schoolteacher Mitch Parker rescues her in the
wilderness. Straightlaced Mitch has never met a woman like
Ivy—beautiful, adventurous and good-hearted—but he already
lost love once and doesn't dare try again.
When Turnabout's gossips target Mitch and Ivy's friendship,
he proposes to save her reputation. But Ivy doesn't want to
marry for honor, and she doesn't need to marry for money.
Ivy will only agree to a proposal made for love's sake—but
will Mitch make his heart part of the marriage offer?
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy