Heartland

Rachel Wilder is a volatile lass in 1870s Kansas. And she is deeply concerned about the eight children of her closest friend, who has died: Jonathan Beecham, the widower, is a shiftless father who prefers carousing in Wichita to tending his brood. But just as Rachel takes the children under her wing, in swoops their uncle, Slade Maverick, to carry out his dead sister's wishes and claim custody of the children. Rachel suspects that the ``gunslinger,'' who once reportedly killed a man in a bordello brawl, is little improvement over Jonathan. However, Slade settles down to a quiet life of farming and child-rearing, and adopts a possessive protectiveness toward Rachel. But he doesn't reveal the depth of his affection for her, or the mystery behind his earlier exploits--until a figure from his past sends him an ominous message. Brandewyne's ( Across a Starlit Sea ) incorporation of historical material is sometimes awkward, worst when clumps of irrelevant facts are dropped into the narrative. The plot is largely predictable, and the spunky heroine and macho hero are occasionally silly, but this romance should amuse those seeking light entertainment. ( Aug. )