The Cowboy Comes Home

The story is a modern day Romeo and Juliet, with bitter families that hold grudges and do their best to keep two young lovers apart. And they succeed but at what cost? The story is an emotional roller-coaster ride of forbidden love, betrayal, bitterness, hatred, deceit, lies, secrets, and renewal. A story that covers more than a decade and eventually, the truth with all its ugliness will be exposed. It is also a story of bitterness to acceptance and eventually to redemption. The story has a great cast of characters, plenty of mystery, suspense, and angst. It is a love-hate situation, and eventually, the entire bitter tale will unfold, and Ethan and Sara must decide to either let the past or the present win? Is their love stronger than the lies? Can they have a second chance at happiness? Two young high school seniors, both with strong feelings for each other, secret rendezvous to meet up at night, sharing passion because of that love, and even creating a child that was a secret to others. One drunk driver, a life lost, a couple destroyed, and more lies on top of ones already in place. Ten years later, Sara Wilson is doing everything she can to keep the Rocking W ranch going with her father in a convalescent home since his stroke. Having one ranch hand thinking he can gain ground and win her, her father not backing her, while she is keeping a reign on the overall cost. Sara can’t work with her horses, now that she is running the ranch, visiting her father, and dealing with everything else in between. What a shock to learn that the old Phillips place has a new owner, and it is none other than Ethan Sanchez. Seeing him once again will bring back so many painful memories of the past. How he abandoned her after the accident. At least that is what her father convinced her happened—telling her that Ethan was happy to be free of her and the burden of the baby. “Had he convinced himself over the years that her father had kept them apart? Like some modern-day Romeo and Juliet? It certainly gave him a better role than he played in reality.” “Her father had been wrong. Ethan had always been the man for her. Now if only she could prove it to both men.” The story includes a mystery of problems that started happened at the Wilson ranch with cut fences, damaged windmills, and vehicles. Laying the blame on one of the workers seemed probable, but the problems are still happening—and not only on her ranch but at Ethan’s too. When Joe Wilson doesn't allow Sara power of attorney to make decisions and counteracts ones she does make, she gives him an ultimatum, I’ll leave, or you give me power of attorney. She isn’t afraid to back it up when he refuses and hires on with Ethan. Ethan doesn’t believe he can ever trust Sara or Joe after what happened after the accident. He left for college, and his father left for Texas. The only reason he came back to Wyoming is the ranch his father bought, and now he is the owner. He is determined to make his late father proud. His dream of training horses is finally going to come true—the dream he and Sara had once planned for their future. The story will have several sordid tales come to light that explains so much of the hatred and bitterness over the years. Something that two young people in love had nothing to do with but was caught up in the nastiness of the past and they are the ones who paid the high price. “Now she knew the truth, and the flip side of hate is love—and she had it in spades.” Will Ethan and Sara be able to find peace with what has happened to them and move forward? Sara never found love after Ethan, and even has had trouble trusting men, after the way her father portrayed Ethan to her for all these years? Can Ethan forgive her and not hold the sins of her father against her? Will he ever love her again especially when he learns the truth? “It came down to one question—did he love her more than he hated her father?”

The Cowboy Comes Home by Barbara McMahon. This is Sara Wilson and Ethan Sanchez’s story. Sara and Ethan were young lovers but circumstances drove them apart. Now, ten years later their reunited and even though Sara and Ethan are hurt and feel anger toward one another there is still a really strong attraction to each other. This story grabbed my attention from the beginning. The emotions of the characters felt so real and at times my heart hurt for Sara and Ethan. Once secrets are revealed will Ethan and Sara take a second chance on love and happiness? This is an emotional and heartwarming second chance romance with wonderful characters. I loved how the story came full circle for Sara and Ethan. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

ARC for honest review with no compensation 4.5 stars The Cowboy Comes Home by Barbara McMahon is another great book by this author. Her stories have all the feels: anger, angst, secrets, lost loves, second chances and love! Sara and Ethan were secret high school sweethearts or so they thought but tragedy and her being the rancher’s daughter and him the ranch hand’s kid who will never amount to anything were separated by family. Now 10 years later Ethan returns to town and has inherited the ranch next to Sara’s family ranch. When they meet up again all the feelings from long ago resurface both the good and the bad. Will these two get to the bottom of all the secrets and get their second chance at Love and happiness or will her family destroy it for good???