Love Finds You in Deadwood, South Dakota-Tracey Cross

Love Finds You in Deadwood, South Dakota
Tracey Cross
Summerside, Sep 1 2010, $12.99
www.summerside.com
ISBN: 9781609360030

In 1879 recently widowed and pregnant single mom Jane Albright learns from her late spouse Tom’s freight delivery partner Hank of the note signed by her just buried husband to avaricious moneylender Franklin Lloyd. Hank says he and his wife are leaving for Oregon as he has given up on the business. He says he warned Tom not to sign using his homestead as collateral but he did; payment is passed due, which means she and five years old Danny could be homeless.

Desperate to save her home and the freight business, Jane travels to nearby Deadwood, South Dakota to beg for an extension. Franklin grants Jane an extension of six months to pay off her dead husband’s note or lose everything. However, as she works diligently earning the respect and admiration of Franklin, Trent Bedlow tells her he loves her. With the help of her friend Molly, Jane sees beneath Trent’s veneer of caring and Franklin’s wall of indifference to the souls of each. Realizing he is losing Jane and her property, Trent kidnaps her leaving it to Franklin to try to rescue the women he loves.

This is an intriguing Americana romance that brings to life the late nineteenth century in Deadwood, South Dakota. The lead trio forges an interesting triangle as Jane learns the hard way never to judge a book by its cover. Although the climax is abrupt and leaves too much dangling especially since history buffs and romance readers will know what is coming, fans will enjoy this entertaining historical.

Harriet Klausner