Angel Creek - Linda Howard

I got Angel Creek from the library after reading Ms. Howard's "A Lady of the West."

Like A Lady of the West, Angel Creek is a historical western but where A Lady of the West was a sweeping epic, Angel Creek was a very sweet, simple romance.

Dee Swann has held on to the area known as Angel Creek valley since her parents died suddenly years prior. A woman alone on the frontier of Colorado she has made a life for herself by herself. A carefully tended garden provides her with this independence thanks to her hard work and the creek that runs through her valley. Angel Creek could provide several ranches in the area with enough water so that droughts wouldn't be a problem but Dee won't sell to any man for any price. Even Lucas Cochran who wants the water for his ranch. Lucas respects Dee's spirit even as he worries for her safety. She impresses him with her frankness and hard work and soon both fall in love with the other. When Dee is seriously injured during an attempted takeover of her land by another rancher, Lucas takes drastic measures to insure she's never put in danger again.

I really liked this book - as with A Lady of the West there is a secondary storyline involving Dee's friend Olivia and a drifter who works on another ranch. Ms. Howard made both stories intertwine with each other without being distracting or making you feel like it was taking you from the "main" story. Dee is the perfect example of what it took for a woman to survive on this land and Lucas's respect for her made him the perfect hero for her.

I would look forward to any other historical novels that Ms. Howard came out with though it seems like she has been concentrating lately on mysteries. I do have one of her mysteries, Cover of Night, on my to be read shelf - next time I'm in a mystery mood I might have to pull that one down.