Loving Mercy

Mercy Clarke, along with her sister Miranda and two cowhands, had made it from the Colorado Territory to Abilene to finally sell her cattle. After an accident that claimed the life of Mercy’s husband and left her father unable to run the ranch, it was up to her to take care of Miranda and their father, and to raise the money to payoff their debts. She desperately needed the money to pay off Arthur Lansing so she could keep her land and home. Mercy was more than delighted when she sold her cattle for a good price earning enough to payoff Lansing and still have some left over. Unfortunately every man in Abilene knows Mercy and Miranda will be alone with the money going back to Colorado.

Thad Buchanan needed to make it to Colorado to see his sister. However there weren't many guides going that way this late in the season. The only one Thad could find just happened to be Mercy Clarke, but Mercy wasn't too enraptured with the fact that he wanted to go with her. Especially since every time he ran into her something happened to make him look like a bad person. He knew he would have to convince her to let him go with her, if only to help her fight off the thieves.

The adventure Thad and Mercy embark on is not only across terrain but also within the depths of their hearts. Although they may both be fighting what is happening, sometimes hearts have a way of just coming together. What happens on the road back to Colorado no one will know about, but when they reach their destination will they be able to walk away from each other?

Teresa Bodwell brings us a delightful character in Mercy Clarke. She is determined to make it in a man's world without a man. Being very determined and a bit stubborn will aid her in her business dealings, but when it comes to Thad she is in unknown territory. Mercy is truly a character readers will love just as Thad is a man to melt our hearts and possibly Mercy's.

As Thad and Mercy travel across the land, readers will delight in their banter and even in the heat and passion that fills the pages. Loving Mercy is a story fans of the Historical Western genre will not want to miss.

Reviewed by: JoAnn