Heart’s Delight by Ruth Ryan Langan
In the summer of 1890, U.S Marshal Hodge Egan is forced to leave the comfort of Chicago to trail a killer into the Wisconsin wilderness. He vows that when he brings this man to justice, he will resign from the law and enjoy the good life in the gentlemen’s clubs of San Francisco, a dream he has nurtured for many years.
Molly O’Brien runs a dairy farm in rural Wisconsin. To the citizens of Delight, Wisconsin, she is disdained for avoiding marriage while raising four little girls, two of whom aren’t even kin. On top of that, she offers shelter to a reclusive former slave who lives in the nearby forest. Though she is admired for her strength and courage, her unconventional lifestyle makes her an odd little misfit.
When Molly discovers two men lying in her field, near death, she takes them home, only to learn from their belongings strewn about the field that one of them is a dangerous outlaw, and one a man of the law. But which is which? Both claim to be the marshal, while neither will admit to being the outlaw. Until she can get them healthy enough to return them to town and hand them over to the law, she must protect herself and her daughters while tending both men and her farm.
Throw into this dangerous mix a sly, vicious killer, a woman with a tender heart, a girl on the threshold of becoming a woman, a child afraid of her own shadow, and one who has the gift of vision, and you have a wild and wonderful adventure, as well as a surprising love story.
Wow… can we hope Berkley keeps buying westerns? Please! This even sounds good and different.
I admit when I first saw the Marshall part I started to roll my eyes but kept going in the summary because it is a western! But sounds good. Never read this author… doesn’t she write under another name as well?
I’m pretty sure she doesn’t write under another name, but she’s been published since the 1980s. The first romance I ever read was the very-1980s Nevada Nights by Ruth Ryan Langan. Anyway, what I like about her is that she’s been steering more towards American settings, as opposed to straight-western. The Duchess of 5th Avenue took place in New York City (still in TBR) and the one before that, Ashes to Dreams took place on a Kentucky horse farm (read it, liked it, love scenes a little purple).
She also wrote several books for HH, but alas, none of which are in my TBR. She also dabbles in the paranormal. She’s done several anthologies with La Nora.
ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
She is Ruth Langan. Well I would guess… cuz duh. Looks like I have four HH. Ruby, Jade and two others it is too dark in here to read. Dulcie’s Gift? Cool I will have to check them out. Or you know reach over the two books I have filled with books I need to read in some sort of soonish manner.
Small copy like boxes at least. LOL I did notice she had a ‘board’ on that chicks board that runs nora’s. ADWOFF? or something
Ruth Kerce is another author. 🙂
Oooh, another western to go on my wish list. I hope like hell that Berkley keeps buying westerns! *crossing fingers and throwing fairy dust*
I’m just happy to see another historical……. There seems to be so few these days!! And this does sound good and different… There’s been so few good American historicals lately…..