Twenty-four-year-old Frank Fortune feels much older than his actual age.  Ranching is a tough business made harder by a string of cattle rustlings that are leaving him in debt.  Determined to catch the rustlers at their own game, Frank and his ranch hands patrol the lands as best they can. 

Frank finds a beautiful young woman, Dearyanna Rodriguez, on his land acting like a poacher, but he soon discovers she is an old family friend.  He offers her a room in his home while she is in town researching the local plant life.  Frank is no fool, he realizes he is of marrying age and Dearyanna is a woman to be treasured. 

However, he never expected to find himself with another guest.  A schoolteacher, Essie Bowers, has come to the ranch in hopes of tracking down some students who ran away from her.  Suddenly, Frank’s quiet existence has become a whole lot busier.  Two women are vying for his attention, and he knows he has to choose between the two, if he wants to settle down at all. 

THE NEXT ROUNDUP if my favorite Stephen Bly book to date.  The prose grabs you immediately, hooking you into the story from start to finish.  I found the story’s strength lied in Frank’s character.  He is a good Christian, but he also faces tough times.  It was a harsh world, and while he detests the thought of having to shoot the “bad guys”, he also realizes that sometimes there is no other option.  That is a struggle you often find the character dealing with.