Springwater Wedding

SPRINGWATER WEDDING

Once a frontier stagecoach stop, tiny Springwater has grown and changed and entered the twenty-first century. Cattle rustlers may still be stirring up trouble, but now they're high-tech operators in a modern world. Where stagecoaches once rolled along muddy roads, the Internet is now the newest highway in town. But heartbreak is still heartbreak and love still love, and Springwater still boasts a rich legacy of joy, sorrow, and second chances -- as two childhood sweethearts discover when they rekindle a long-ago passion in the place they will always call home.

Maggie McCaffrey left her fast-paced corporate job to take a chance on a more rewarding -- but riskier -- business venture: turning the dilapidated Springwater Station into a bed-and-breakfast. But Maggie didn't count on running straight into J.T. Wainwright, the hometown boy who stole her heart many years before. A tough former New York City cop, J.T. survived a grave gunshot wound and returned to Springwater to find a better way of life. Now, as deputy town marshal, he's facing off with modern-day cattle thieves who are plaguing local ranchers. Stronger than ever, J.T. seems ready for anything -- except, of course, Maggie.

As Maggie's B&B begins to take root, a delightful new cast of Springwater locals passes through its doors. Maggie's parents, Kathleen and Reece, are finding that their forty-year marriage requires a little renegotiating now and then. Cindy, a teenage newlywed with a baby on the way, is learning about love and sacrifice for the first time. And town marshal Purvis Digg is turning Springwater upside down by dating a woman he met on the Internet.

As always, Linda Lael Miller enchants readers with her portrayal of the complex tangle of life and love in a small town. With her trademark sensuality and her Þair for wit, she once again brings Springwater to life -- this time, at the dawn of a new era.

J.T. leaves behind the death of his partner, a gunshot wound, and a divorce to become a rancher. His attempts to make the family ranch a paying proposition are threatened, however, by someone poisoning neighboring herds, cattle rustlers, and murder. His attempts at rekindling a romance with Maggie seem a bit more productive, but other issues seem to keep him frequently sidetracked. Indeed, while aiding local law enforcement, J.T. soon learns that the current crime spree leads to the town's past and includes his father's murder.

SPRINGWATER WEDDING is the seventh book in the Springwater series, providing a contemporary conclusion. The hero and heroine are descendants of the original cast, thereby providing the novel with deep roots. But do not let that dissuade new readers who want to read SPRINGWATER WEDDING as a standalone. The novel works beautifully as an independent read as well, though readers may quickly find their way to the bookstore for the remaining books of the series. Author Linda Lael Miller excels at creating novels with a strong sense of community and ancestry, as SPRINGWATER WEDDING dazzlingly demonstrates. Further, Jacob is the wounded hero at his best, with challenges and weaknesses that make him immensely appealing. Maggie years for community and family, yet fears the risk such goals require. While the reader knows that, of course, they will find up together, the journey is both pleasurable and endearing, especially with the remarkable secondary characters give the novel an added richness. Very highly recommended.