Travis The Texans by Georgina Gentry

When he almost loses his life in a gunfight and puts his gun hand out of business, Travis no longer has a job.  He has no idea what he'll do instead of being a Ranger.  When he defends a group of orphans, he suddenly has a job he doesn't want!

Zebra Books sent me a copy of an ARC for review (thank you).  The book has been published, so check with your local bookstore for a copy.

I enjoy stories that have lots of action and a gentle romance in the background.  One of the "girls" in the orphanage group is actually a run-away prostitute who is wearing pigtales and loose clothes to hide her age and beauty.  She looks young, so she passes Travis' scrutiny.  He's also so busy trying to take care of the other rejected orphans he doesn't have much time to pay attention to her.

There's an attempt at homesteading, a stop in a small town with Travis holding a job in the local gun shop and Violet trying to turn an abandoned house into a home.

My favorite part of the story is watching Violet react to all the single women trying to grab Travis for a husband.  She knows he won't want her when he knows about her past and that she lied to him, but she's not willing to give him up...

If you like a western and would enjoy reading about building a family from scraps, you'll enjoy this story.  You get a combination of humor, deadly action, frustration, and love.  Sounds like life, doesn't it?

Happy reading.