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.
"I barely know you, and yet there's something about you that
I trust. But why?"
"You know me, Maria. I'm the guy trouble follows. Best if
you keep your distance."
She ran the backs of her fingers along the line of his jaw.
"And what if I don't want to keep my distance?" Her voice
was barely a whisper.
"Fair warning," he murmured, and pulled her close.
Caught between a greedy corporation and a desperate love of
the land, Maria Porterfield barely has time to mourn her
father's death. If her family is to survive, it'll be up to
her to take charge-but she can't do it alone. When a
mysterious drifter rides into town, the handsome cowboy
seems like an answer to her prayers. But Chet isn't
interested in settling down, no matter how tempting the offer...
Chet made his way West looking for a fresh start-the last
thing he wants is to get involved in someone else's fight.
But something about Maria awakens a powerful need to protect
the fierce beauty at all costs. He never thought he'd find
love, but as danger presses in, he may find there's more
beyond the next horizon than just another long and dusty trail.
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