Falling for the Cowgirl

The rousing fourth entry in Hedlund’s Colorado Cowboys series (after To Tame a Cowboy) follows a young woman bristling against the constraints of domesticity in 1869 South Park, Colo. Ivy McQuaid plans to become a landowner and rancher, and to that end she disguises herself as a man to earn money as a cowhand competitor. After competing one night, she runs into Jericho Bliss, her crush whom she hasn’t heard from since he helped Ivy’s brother flee town to escape a gambling debt two years earlier. Jericho quickly sees through her disguise but agrees to keep her secret. He struggles to fight his feelings for Ivy because he fears his job as a bounty hunter for the Pinkerton Agency could put her in peril. When Ivy’s brothers figure out her charade and demand she stop, Ivy teams up with a dentist and a barber to look for a treasure that would enable her to buy the land she’s had her eye on. Unexpected dangers arise, and Jericho, believing himself responsible for putting Ivy in harm’s way, skips town and prays for guidance on how to do right by Ivy. The McQuaid family dynamics are believable and the romance between Ivy and Jericho tugs at the heartstrings. This one’s worth rounding up. (Oct.)