About This Episide

The Story

Maisie Merritt has made herself a promise: she’ll never marry a mountain man. Despite her love for the Colorado Rockies and the wild creatures she helps, she’s witnessed firsthand how her father’s wandering ways destroyed her family and led to her mother’s death from loneliness. She’s ready for a normal life with a normal man.

Gaetano “Tanner” Oakley lives the wandering life of a trapper and trail guide. Having seen how hard his lifestyle is on Maisie and her sister when their father disappears for long stretches, Tanner has convinced himself he’s not husband material for any woman. He’s restless and unsettled, having long ago given up hope of finding the family he lost.

When Tanner returns to the mountains and finds Maisie in serious trouble, his attempt to help only makes matters worse. With Maisie injured and her reputation in tatters, he’s forced to do the right thing and marry her. But can two people who’ve sworn off this kind of life find happiness together?

Our Discussion Highlights

The Mystery Continues

One of the most satisfying aspects of this book is the continuation of Tanner’s search for his lost family. Without spoiling anything, we can say that Hedlund wraps up this storyline in unexpected and interesting ways. It made us think about how many people in history had similar experiences—losing family during Indian attacks, wagon train journeys, or other tragedies—and never finding answers about their origins.

Edge-of-Your-Seat Moments

The book opens with Maisie in a truly precarious situation, literally hanging from a cliff edge. (Thank goodness for her pet wolf!) The tension had us on edge. We recently saw a YouTube video of a real-life mother-daughter hiking accident with a similar scenario, which made this scene hit even harder. The mountains are beautiful but unforgiving.

Family Drama

Maisie’s father might be one of the most frustrating characters in the series. His complete disregard for his daughters—even after losing his wife, one daughter, and a grandchild—is heartbreaking. The way he forces Maisie and Tanner into marriage just so he can continue trapping without worrying about her made us furious. At least the situation ultimately works in Maisie’s favor, freeing her from that difficult life.

The Standoff

We can’t give away too many details, but there’s an intense standoff involving Maisie’s neighbors that had us glued to the pages. And the moment when Tanner considers shooting Maisie’s pet wolf to save her? One of us literally said, “If that wolf dies, I’m done reading this book!” The turn of events that follows is something you’ll have to discover for yourself.

A Tender Romance

Despite their vows to never be together, Maisie and Tanner share an undeniable attraction. She’s been in love with him for years, though he initially saw her as a little sister. Watching them navigate their forced marriage while trying to hold back their feelings creates a beautifully tender romance.

Our Ratings

Here’s how we rated the different elements of this book (using our coffee scale):

• Drama Level: Latte (this is a theme throughout the series!)
• Suspense: Espresso (the cliff scene, the standoff, plenty of tense moments)
• Mystery: Espresso (mainly the continuation of Tanner’s family mystery)
• Inspirational Level: Espresso
• Romance Level: Latte (lots of tender moments and restrained passion)
• Overall Lasso Rating: 3/3 for all of us

Final Thoughts

Wrangling the Wandering Rancher is a book you won’t want to put down. It’s got great twists, intense scenes, and satisfying character development. If you love historical romance with mountain settings, complex family dynamics, and characters who grow through adversity, this one’s for you.

Be sure to check out more of Jody Hedlund’s work at her website: https://jodyhedlund.com/

Next week, we’ll be discussing the final book in the High Country Ranch series: Wishing for the Rancher’s Love. We can’t wait to see how Hedlund wraps up this wonderful series!

Pro tip: If you’re ever in northern Indiana in October, grab some pumpkin donuts from Fashion Farm. They’re amazing and may or may not have been consumed during this podcast recording!

Have you read Wrangling the Wandering Rancher? What did you think of Tanner and Maisie’s story? Let us know in the comments!