Return of the Cowboy Doctor

Williams delivers a smart, gentle, and uplifting fourth novel set in 1890s Wyoming (after Roping the Wrangler). When shy medical student Maxwell White returns home to Bear Creek, planning to earn some money and finish his degree, he meets confident Hattie Powell, daughter of the town’s doctor. Despite her parents’ opposition and her health problems, Hattie is determined to go to medical school and become a doctor herself, and she is unwilling to let her attraction to Max soften her resolve. When Hattie’s father hires Max as an assistant, she fears she’s lost her chance to prove herself. Then a nearby cholera epidemic calls Dr. Powell out of town, leaving Max and Hattie to face their own crisis as a team. Though the characters’ single-issue problems can become repetitive, sweet, poetic Max is a lovable hero, and Hattie’s desire to have both career and family will resonate strongly with readers. (Dec.)