Is she ready to take a risk?

Trista Thorpe may not be a native Texan, but her love for the state and its history abounds thanks to her late husband. When her newly widowed and very famous brother arrives with her beloved nephew, she devotes herself to helping them walk that painful path of healing she knows so well.

Then, at the horse haven her brother and his new love created for other children working through grief, she literally collides with a man who’s unlike anyone she’s ever met.

Half blacksmith, half horse-whisperer, loner Logan Fox feels a spark when he meets the sister of the star who hired him to keep their therapy horses well shod and calm. And when he keeps running into Tris at the historical sites he often visits, it seems less like a coincidence and more like fate.

He’s intrigued, but unwilling to take the next step. She’s his boss’s sister, and her late husband was a town legend. But Logan, who had a rough childhood, finds himself starting to trust and wanting more.

Titles in the Home at Last Texas series (set in Last Stand, Texas imprint) include:  Making a Texas Cowboy ~ Destined for the Cowboy ~ The Cowboy Comes Home ~ Christmas with the Cowgirl ~

This is an adult 18+ story that contains language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Title:  Destined for the Cowboy
Series:  Home at Last Texas #2
Author:  Justine Davis
Published:  January 28, 2025
Publisher:  Tule Publishing
My Rating:  4.5 stars

Destined for the Cowboy is the second title in the Home at Last series, this time bringing us Jackson’s sister, Trista (Tris), and Logan, a cowboy/horse whisperer/blacksmith who works with the horses at the horse therapy/sanctuary that Jackson’s family has established, together for an intriguing romance.

We met Tris in her brother, Jackson’s, story. She is a widow who is still, seven years later, mourning her husband’s death… the truth is, there is no timeframe to grief; we all grieve in different ways, none are right nor wrong, but the way that makes sense for each individual.  But that might be changing as she actually collides with Logan one day, and soon discovers the history buff beneath this man’s quiet nature.  It won’t be long before they keep running into each other at historical sites, and eventually visit those spots together.  We not only get to watch Trista and Logan fall in love, but also get a bit of a Texas history lesson along the way.

Logan comes from a rough childhood; he’s lived his life believing that he doesn’t deserve happiness based on his past…which is totally wrong, but self-esteem is also a thing that we each have to work through to acknowledge our own worth.  Both Trista and Logan need to heal, in different ways, and it was an emotional journey to watch their walls begin to crumble, to see them finally be willing to take a few risks on a future that they both want…together.   I loved seeing the Highwater and Rafferty folks involved in another story.  It’s always a treat for me when formerly main characters of an author become secondary ones in another series, keeping the sense of community in Last Stand alive and well.

I enjoyed Destined for the Cowboy so much, on so many levels.  In my mind, I don’t think that either Trista nor Logan would have ever completely healed without the other in their lives… just a personal thought.  If you love a well-written, emotional, engaging romance with humor, a touch of suspense, and a couple that you’ll be rooting for, then this one is a perfect fit for you.

I own a Kindle edition of this story.

If you enjoyed this story, please visit our Last Stand, Texas page with many more series set in this small Texas town.  (Think Marietta, Montana world, but set in Texas. If you enjoy either of them, then you’d enjoy the other as well.)

This title is available at Amazon (affiliate link)