Stories like these, set against the backdrop of an untamed Texas, are the reason I love western romances. Here honorable heroes, independent-minded heroines and the dangers of a lawless land combine to create the magic that is western romance.

The Ranger’s Angel by Jodi Thomas: When widowed Annalane Barkley is called to Indian Territory by her self-absorbed brother to help him set up the Camp Supply infirmary, she’s under no illusion that her brother may have finally grown a heart. But something is missing in her life and this adventure seems as good as any place to look for it. When the stage she’s riding  runs into a band of outlaws, she gets more adventure than she bargained for—and a handsome and wild Texas Ranger to boot. When life is perilous, sometimes you have no choice but to take a chance.

Jodi Thomas has written a gem of a short story in this tale of awakening with multi-dimensional characters, an intriguing plot and a romance that simmers until it boils over. And Ranger Wynn McCord is stoically delicious.

Undertaking Texas by Linda Broday: Ranger Stoney Burke has history with feisty widow Texanna Wilder, and it involves more than her choosing his late friend for her husband over him. It has to do with Texanna forcing her husband to give up the only profession he loved and Stoney still loves—being a Texas Ranger. Now her husband is dead and her wily brother-in-law is making things difficult in order to get his hands on her husband’s undertaking and barbershop businesses. There’s only so much Stoney can do, short of marrying her—and that’s a step he’ll never take. No siree, no one is going to tie him down. Not even if she’s got more curves than a mountain trail, kisses as hot as the burning desert and a heart as big as Texas.

As I was reading this wonderful tale, one word kept going through my mind—perfection. From the reluctant but stalwart Stoney to the hilariously strong-willed Texanna and all the characters in-between, Ms. Broday makes you feel like you are right there, part of the town of Devil’s Creek, as the misadventures of this tangling duo unfold. Heart-warming, romantic and irresistible, this story will put a smile on your face and keep it there.

One Woman, One Ranger by Phyliss Miranda: Nothing in the town of Buffalo Springs adds up to Ranger Hayden McGraw. Not the gathering at the saloon to record marriages, not the odd behavior of town fathers and certainly not the supposed proprietor of a rival saloon, one attractive little bundle of trouble, Ella Stevenson. He’s hanging around until he figures out the mystery even if it means he’s got to take some radical action to save the little lady’s neck. And if someone has set him up, they might not live to regret it.

This entertaining novella contains a lot of threads that need to be unraveled which keeps the reader guessing right until the end. Sweet and amusing, with just the right amount of sass.

The Perfect Match by Dewanna Pace: Thomas Longbow doesn’t cotton to his latest assignment of preventing a boxing match between Peter Maher and Bob Fitzsimmons. Seems if the people want to watch a fight, the politicians shouldn’t interfere. But he’s a ranger and while this isn’t typical ranger business, he’s sworn to uphold the law and that means assuring the fight doesn’t happen. But the job gets a whole lot better when he meets up with widowed saddle maker, Laney O’Grady. She knows something about her customer, Peter Maher, something about the match that the two boxers are determined to fight, and Thomas is going to do his best to find out the secret she is keeping—and maybe all her secrets. 

Ms. Pace made this story so real with some fascinating details, I had to look up Peter Maher and Bob Fitzsimmons, and indeed this is based on a real incident. The author does a superb job of interweaving the love story into this history-in-the-making tale, providing a sense of period and place for her characters' stage. Intriguing and heartwarming.

These four stories are a western delight.