Riding the River (The Westerners, Book One)

Sarah Hughes loves old Western movies. Her favorite is Big Country with Gregory Peck. She decides to spruce up her life by vacationing at a horse and cattle ranch like Peck did. She meets cowboy Matt Garth and they help drive a herd of horses to a pasture in the wilderness. He's a country boy and she's a city girl, but there's a real spark here. Is it possible this is a new start for her?Computer consultant Sarah Hughes is desperately unhappy. Trapped between the demands of her prominent Baltimore family and a cruel boss, Sarah knows that something has got to give. After a crisis at work that sends her to the hospital -- again -- Sarah searches for an escape hatch. A vacation in rural Nevada strikes her fancy, partially because her mother was from a small town in Nevada, and partially because Sarah is hooked on old Western movies. Everything about the West is fascinating to her and she longs for a complete change in her life.Taking a chance on a horse and cattle ranch in eastern Nevada, Sarah learns riding, shooting, two-stepping and the wonders of western wildlife are just what the doctor ordered. Meeting cowboy Matt Garth is the icing on the cake and they slowly begin a relationship. He has trauma from his past and Sarah's east coast influences continue to plague her. A horse drive to a pasture in the wilderness shows them both what is possible in their lives and what is most important. But her family has always pulled the strings and kept her in line. Will Matt's influence be strong enough to help Sarah become the person she longs to be? Or will those strings pull Sarah back to the familiar, what has always been.