In this book, we start out in Carver Hollow, where Maggie lives with her uncle and a group of ragtag men who carve wood and come to her house for meals. Her life consists of bartering her treasures with people and preserving her traditions.
On his way back to Texas, Todd's mother becomes ill and he is forced to get off the train and seek help. He ends up on Maggie's doorstep. She's the only healer in the area and Todd is wary of her skills at first. He soon comes to see her as a capable cook and caregiver. Since he is barely able to keep his farm running, his mother's condition is going to require some extra help and he now looks on Maggie as a solution to his problems.
While both Todd and his mother are accepting of Maggie at first, that quickly changes. Once it's made known that Todd plans to wed her and bring her back with them, Todd's mother begins her verbal assault of everything that makes Maggie who she is. Once they get to Texas and Todd sees the extent of what Maggie has brought with her, he begins to try and change her. As she tries to help out with her superior bartering skills, she has to deal with Todd's disapproval and his mother's bitter tongue.
While I liked the book overall, I'm not sure I was happy about it. Let's just say that you'd be hard pressed to find anyone less likable in the book than Todd's mother. I wasn't a real fan of Todd for most of the book either. The mother acted like a donkey while her son had the brains of one! Being the last of the series, it was a nice standalone as well as giving you a peek at some of the other characters in the previous books.
This was a nice read. I would have had it finished sooner had real life not gotten in the way! This author has become one that I look forward to reading. Her style has a lighthearted humor that had me smiling at some points in the book. I also felt some pain in this one. Maggie deals with a lot and my eyes misted over once or twice. That woman is a saint! Good Book!
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