Book 4 of 5
It felt like it was written by a different author. Hope, the female lead from book 2, is written as an idiot and a gossip. Mr. Smith, a small character in book 1, was a charitable man now is one of the antagonist. ( )

Enjoyable but I felt the ending was abrupt. ( )

Drs. Enoch and Taylor Bestman, brother and sister who are a vet and an MD respectively, come to Gooding, TX to set up practice on a four year contract in the 1890s. Naturally, many men are up in arms over having a woman doctor, and trouble ensues. Taylor overcomes many hurdles with the reluctant help of one of the local blacksmiths who falls in love with her. Enoch, meanwhile, refuses all requests to treat people and falls in love with a widow who runs the local boarding house. ( )

I am enjoying myself as I read the stories in this "Only in Gooding!" series. The author does a good job of keeping other characters from other stories in the series in all her books which makes it nice to catch up on good friends you meet in other stories. This story I must admit took me awhile to really get into. I had a hard time of bonding and appreciating Taylor Bestman, the new town's doctor. But once the story got going I thoroughly enjoyed myself. One of the most memorable parts to this book was the advice a person gave to another over handling the loss of a loved one: "Being a Christian didn't guarantee me I'd have no heartache; it promised when heartaches came that I'd have a refuge and strength. Instead of keeping my eyes on the Lord, I suddenly looked only at myself - and in doing so, I cut myself off from accepting the solace of God's loving presence and the consolation of knowing my family and I would be reunited for eternity." "My problem started when I wallowed in my grief and cut myself off from God and the people I loved. One day I woke up to a startling realization: Clinging to my anger and sadness didn't make me feel any closer to those I'd lost." Good advice from this author!

It is the year 1892 and the folks in Gooding, Texas are excited about the arrival of a double blessing, siblings Enoch and Taylor are arriving to be the town's much needed veterinarian and medical doctor. But when they realize that Taylor is a woman and the doctor, most town's folks want nothing to do with her, especially the men. Taylor's first patient is blacksmith Karl Van der Vort who under protest is taken to the doctor and Taylor is able to save his life and his leg. Karl still wants nothing to do with her, but ends up driving her around to the few people in the area who need her services. During this time Karl will come to understand Taylor and how much the town really does need her. He will also discover how much he really needs her too. But Taylor and Karl are both fiesty people who don't mind telling each other what they think and sparks do fly when they are together. You know how it will end, but it is fun and enjoyable watching these two interact. Looking forward to reading more about the folks in Gooding, Texas! ( )