Maria Porterfield is trying hard to keep her ranch floating after her father's death and brother's desertion a few months ago. Being a young girl, her foreman tries to bully her. Following the argument he quits leaving Maria in a spot. As luck would have it, a drifter comes by looking for work. Something about him appeals to Maria, instinctively wanting to trust him but it is only after he proves himself, does she offer him a job.

Chet Hunter is looking for a fresh start. He wants to earn enough money to be able to move forward and start over. He is unsure about staying on when Maria offers him a job considering the problems she is facing but something about her compels him to stay for time being. Soon after the foreman comes back, is jealous of Chet and the problems at the ranch increase. In the midst, Maria is unsure who to trust but cannot bring herself to be suspicious of Chet. Chet on the other hand finds himself increasingly enamoured by his fiery defiant boss and in turn wants to help her out in any way he can. But he has a past while she has problems. What will happen when the two collide? Will he stay or will he move on?

THE DRIFTER leaves me with mixed feelings. I was looking forward to reading a good cowboy romance after a long time and this one was somewhere in between. Ms. Schmidt has created a lovely world and the characters are very real, sweet yet forgetful. The situations and how they are handled are beautifully done in terms of realism. Yes I am reading fiction and yes I expect things to be too good to be true at times but Ms. Schmidt does not do that. Instead THE DRIFTER has characters with very real flaws and actions close to what we would do in real life. The overall feeling of THE DRIFTER is feel good read. I loved Maria. She is brave, strong-willed and determined without needing to be rude, loudmouthed or abrasive. She is a woman and a leader everyone comes to respect including Chet. Chet is a gentleman but not one easily bullied or angered. He does not mind taking orders from a woman, respects one and all, is soft spoken, has good instincts but avoids taking lead or getting involved in fights. I liked how Ms. Schmidt built their relationship from mild attraction to love instead of intense sexual connection at first sight.

From the build-up, the ending was a bit disappointing. Sweet yet felt rushed with the ends tied quickly and with disappointing ease. The whole mystery and solution left me wanting more. Nonetheless, I enjoyed THE DRIFTER. It is a smooth read, not much angst or action but realistic setting, situations, people and their relations. Everything is in shades of gray instead of black and white and no one is what they seem.