Damaris Baxter, as the 8th child of a well off family, was most often overlooked. Not particularly handsome, everyone expected her to stay and take care of her aging aunt and uncle. When her favorite brother's wife died, Damaris helped take care of their grieving son, Nathaniel, until father and son move to Texas to start a new life. Years later, Damaris hears of her brother's death and discovers she has been named as guardian of Nathaniel. Much to everyone's surprise she rushes off to Texas, excited to have a greater purpose in life than needlepoint and reading. Dealing with the now teenaged boy proves more difficult than she expected. He is defiant and regularly sneaks out at night to do she knows not what. Meanwhile, the last of the unwed horsemen, Luke Davenport, takes a job investigating cattle rustling in the town where Damaris lives, and is surprised to discover that a 14 year old boy is the prime suspect. As he goes to investigate the boy, he meets Damaris and, after hearing their story decides Nathaniel has been wrongly accused. As he tries to find the real rustlers, he soon suspects that the man who hired him might not be a victim after all. Someone doesn't want Luke to solve the mystery, and is willing to kill to keep the secret hidden.
I am a little sad to come to the end of this series. Yes, they are a bit silly and over the top, but they are just the right kind of book to read when other things in my life are stressing me out. This is a fun and fitting end to the series. I liked that fact that Damaris isn't particularly pretty, brave, or clever, but that Luke still likes her because of her loyalty and big heart. I also like the fact that Karen gives a nod to all the other previous stories in the series and let's the reader know how all those earlier romances were working out. So hooray, the end of a good series. I wonder what else Witemeyer wrote that I might enjoy. (2022, 376 p)
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