Dawn Comes Early by Margaret Brownley

Kate Tenney arrives in Arizona Territory to a deserted town. Local outlaw Cactus Joe is up to his old tricks and has everyone in town hiding out. Kate has just arrived from Boston. She's a disgraced dime novelist who has answered an ad in the paper from local cattle rancher Eleanor Walker. Eleanor is looking for an heiress for her cattle ranch. If Kate can survive learning to run the ranch and sign a contract to never marry the ranch will be hers. Kate thinks that will be no problem for her since she has never been given any reason to trust a man. This looks like the perfect opportunity for Kate to provide for her future since she has given up on writing. What Kate doesn't count on is local blacksmith Luke Adams.

Luke is a simple steady man. He and Kate are instantly attracted to each other. But Kate's distrust of men and her stubborn desire to follow through on Eleanor's desire for Kate to never marry stands in the way of any relationship that they could have.

Kate outlasts any other potential heiress much to Eleanor's surprise. Kate even begins to love the land, and it seems like the perfect arrangement for both. Eleanor is concerned though that Kate isn't giving her undivided attention to the ranch. Circumstances happen that cause Kate to begin writing again and she can't seem to deny the attraction she feels for Luke. He is different than any man she has ever known, or is he? When things seem to appear differently Kate is forced to leave all of her dreams behind.

I really liked the characters of this book. From Cactus Joe, Luke, Kate, Luke's quirky Aunts and even Eleanor's bristly self, each one had personality that made me laugh or roll my eyes at. This was a fun and entertaining read and I am looking forward to continuing on with the story in the next installment of The Brides of Last Chance Ranch Waiting for Morning due out in January 2013.