I’m three books into the Kelley Legacy continuity series, so I’m feeling pretty invested. That may be why I don’t read many continuity series, or even start watching new TV series; it feels like a big commitment, and in this regard I’m a little commitment-phobic. Cowboy Under Siege is an average offering. It’ll do for an evening’s entertainment, but it’s not the greatest book ever.

One thing that made this stand out a little for me: The heroine is a Native American. I don’t really see that often in my reading. Bethany’s a Montana native who comes home to Cole Kelley’s ranch when her father (the ranch foreman) is injured in an accident. The accident is just part of a string of misfortunes to befall the ranch, most of which seem tied to Cole’s dad’s enemies. If you’ve been following these books, you’ll know that Cole’s dad is a disgraced US senator accused of sexual and financial misconduct. He ran afoul of a top secret society which is plotting to kill the president. They kidnapped his daughter Lana – Cole’s sister – and appear to be threatening Cole’s ranch, where the senator is hiding out. Got that?

Anyway, Cole and Bethany share a past. They were lovers in high school, but their relationship ended badly when Bethany left to go to college on a scholarship. All Cole ever wanted was to ranch and live on the land, so he stayed behind and got a degree from nearby Montana State. Cole has a chip on his shoulder and figures he can’t get close to Bethany, even though he’s wildly attracted to her, because she’ll just leave again. Meanwhile, people are shooting his cattle, messing up his fences, burning his barn, and just generally making his life a struggle. He needs to get his cattle to market before the cold sets in, and keeps hitting one setback after another. Bethany offers to help on the ranch, and Cole reluctantly accepts, knowing he needs all the help he can get.

Meanwhile, Bethany has some things going on in her own life. She is a nurse who works with clinical trials in Chicago, and one of her patients died under mysterious circumstances. Someone accuses her of administering an improper dose – something she’s sure she did not do. She’s trying to figure out what happened, while resisting her attraction to Cole, which hasn’t diminished since high school. She also feels pulled into Cole’s problems, particularly since her dad seems to know more than he is letting on.

This is actually quite a lot of action for a short book. Some things work, and some things don’t. I liked Bethany and sympathized with her most of the time. She left Montana largely because she felt bound by prejudice and hemmed in by what people thought she should be. I honestly have no idea whether that happens frequently. Do people really still call Native American women “squaw”? I’d like to hope we’re all better than that, but obviously there are ignorant, hateful people in the world. Anyway, this set up an interesting conflict.

However, halfway through the book Bethany starts feeling guilty that she left Cole and broke his heart. Guilty that she went away from a hostile environment to get a free education! I thought Cole needed to look long and hard at his behavior. If he was so in love and couldn’t leave the land, then maybe he should have thought about a long distance relationship, or at the very least thought about Bethany’s needs. I thought he had no business being mad at her, and she had even less business feeling guilty about her choices. Cole eventually reaches a similar conclusion, but it was kind of too little too late at that point.

At this point, I am also getting somewhat tired of Senator Kelley and his problems. At least he finally manages to let the FBI know that his daughter was kidnapped in this book. I don’t think there is a parent alive who would have waited as long as he did, and I’m kind of over him (even though he is starting to serve as matchmaker for all his children).

But not so over him that I won’t read the next book to find out what happens. I’m seeing this thing through. These books have been a mixed bag, but there are some interesting ideas here. I’m willing to keep soldiering on.