This western romance proves the bittersweet truth that love exists "if you believe." Matt, an ill-mannered drifter, grew tired of riding the freightcars as a hobo and stopped off in Washington state to help harvest the apples. He had a devil-may-care, you haven't-hurt-me smile as he endured his lowlife of fights, the wrong kind of women, and hostile men scattered across the landscape. He loved them and left them, to see on his next time around. 'Miss Prim and Proper' whose father owned the farm felt free and, yet, she never left the farm. She felt that sometimes it hurt to be free, but she had nowhere else to go. Even through her eloquence, she didn't respond to him as a man, even after his appreciative whistle.

The interior of her self-made prison was one of grandeur. The extravagant bathing room was Forest green and burgundy. Her late mother had enjoyed the elegance of beautiful things. Her father is a dreamer. Isolation meant safety to her, but this safety meant loneliness. That is, until Matt appeared on the scene with his arrogance and disdain for folks he did not know. As the weeks went by, he became intrigued about her past, that she has a secret which he was determined to discover before he moves on. He had red-hot floods of frustration, and she was full of frustration and anger. Stephen, her teen love, had left her deserted sixteen years earlier and she just could not face the world because of her shame.

Relaxed, without that god-awful pinched expression on her face, she was almost beautiful with her shiny brown eyes. She was a woman as sensual and powerful as nature itself with a taste of innocence, freshness and surrender. She found Matt to be a good-looking man eventually and he made her feel alive again. She could even laugh, which delighted her old dad. But she was a woman with secrets. We all have our ill-begotten secrets and desires, whether real of imagined. She had lived in her own fantasy after Stephen left, but now she had grown up. With her strong will, strong mind, and a wagonload of grit and determination, all she wanted was to be left alone, for things to go back to the way they used to be, to feel safe in her own home again. He couldn't hurt her unless she gave her heart to him. But anything else would hurt too much.

He had his own unhappy past full of mistakes, and one caught up with him, his most ardent admirer, Jacob William Vandersty, Loralee's son. Only the good die young. He was the wandering kind and so left to ride the rails again to venture to Albuquerque. He missed her more every day, and could think of nothing else. What is it when you missed someone so badly you ached. Wish I knew. He found his old, boozing life in saloons and in boxcars no good now. He'd had a taste of the good life. On Christmas, he realized that he had a place to go, a home in Lonesome Creek, and someone waiting there for him. Mariah had come to the conclusion that he would never return but now she could live with her past and go on. She was older, wiser, and strong enough to survive. She was just lonely again, she thought, and her feeling of loss was just 'a quiet sorrow at what might have been.' Jake was there to take his place, as he was Matt's son, but lo and behold! The man himself returned to them both, his own family to comfort and care for the 'drifter.'

I loved reading this book. I couldn't put it down. The relationships and feelings of the characters really makes you feel for them as you try to place yourself in their shoes. Mariah is such a loving, hurt person and all you want is to do is ug her and love her. I was really moved by this book. It made me think more about the impact of my life and love on others.

This book is hard to read. Ever seen the movie 'The Blue Lagoon'? Especially late at night? It left me with a hollow feeling, a sadness that echoed into the depths of my very soul. This book is about 2 people in their mid-thirties who fall in love against their wills. Its painful to read because of the depth of emotion, the heroine's relationship with her father and Mad Dog, as well as his relationship with his son, whom he doesn't know is related. Make any sense? ...Anyway, if I could go back in time I wouldn't have read this book. It left me with a bittersweet taste in my mouth - a compelling tale, but I think I'll stick to lighter reads from now on.

This is a book about finding, forgiving, loving and letting go. The characters aren't perfect, but all have good qualities. There isn't the usual falling into each others arms and living happily ever after. They work at theirs lives and fight for a chance to love. Ms.Hannah gives a good read.