Owning a Pony Express Station is the background upon which the story of Helena Gray and Jake Carrigan plays out. Helena and her younger sister (Emilie) own and run the local general store and Pony Express Station in Genoa, Nevada Territory. Their father, August Gray, was murdered five days before. Then Helena's vendors began withholding horse supplies, citing their fear that the girls couldn't repay the costs. Helena goes up the mountain to ask the meanest man in town to marry her. Her reasoning is that the suppliers wouldn't have the guts to turn down her husband.
For his part, Jake Carrigan is underwhelmed with the offer. He's satisfied with his life as the local surly hermit, needing no one. Jake tells her what she can do with her offer. Desperate, Helena offers to trade a tract of land the sisters own for 6 months of his time. All he has to do is live in her house and help her rebuild her business for 6 months and the land could be his. As Jake is squatting on land he does not own, he sees this as the answer to his worry about the future. Thus, he agrees.
Their nice, unemotional contract does not work in quite the way they planned. These are two damaged people who are haunted by their histories. As each continues to grieve about their pasts, they realize they want what they (think) they can't have -- a future with love.
I subtracted one point from the score because the author utilized the 'big misunderstanding' as a plot device. I just hate when authors use it. This book has a more serious tone than most of Stef Ann Holm's works. However, it was appropriate for the subject matter. Altogether, this is an interesting story on several levels.
For his part, Jake Carrigan is underwhelmed with the offer. He's satisfied with his life as the local surly hermit, needing no one. Jake tells her what she can do with her offer. Desperate, Helena offers to trade a tract of land the sisters own for 6 months of his time. All he has to do is live in her house and help her rebuild her business for 6 months and the land could be his. As Jake is squatting on land he does not own, he sees this as the answer to his worry about the future. Thus, he agrees.
Their nice, unemotional contract does not work in quite the way they planned. These are two damaged people who are haunted by their histories. As each continues to grieve about their pasts, they realize they want what they (think) they can't have -- a future with love.
I subtracted one point from the score because the author utilized the 'big misunderstanding' as a plot device. I just hate when authors use it. This book has a more serious tone than most of Stef Ann Holm's works. However, it was appropriate for the subject matter. Altogether, this is an interesting story on several levels.
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