The Forest Cat

She came West looking for a husband—but she had no intention of surrendering her heart. Cherie Justus is strong, stubborn, independent, and determined never to need anyone. After a hard life in New Hampshire, she arrives in the Oregon logging town of Sawyerville convinced that marriage is little more than a practical bargain. A husband can earn the money. She can handle everything else. Then she meets Brian Rockford. The towering lumberjack is every bit as strong-willed as Cherie, and their first encounter leaves sparks flying. She thinks he's bossy and impossible. He thinks she's spent so long proving she doesn't need anyone that she's forgotten there are some things strength alone cannot provide. Yet beneath Brian's rugged exterior is an unexpected gentleness—especially when it comes to helpless animals. And when a frightened black cat wanders out of the Oregon forest and straight into Cherie's path, she discovers that she and Brian may have more in common than either of them realized. Because some hearts are a little like cats. They cannot be ordered. They cannot be forced. They must be given the freedom to come to love in their own time. A tender, clean historical Western romance about two fiercely independent souls, one lost black cat, and the unexpected kindness that can soften even the most guarded heart.