Reviewer: Lori Graham
Title: Shoulda Been a Cowboy
Author: Charlotte Douglas
Publisher: Harlequin
ISBN: 0-373-75132-X
Release Date: August 2006
Genre/Sub-genre: Contemporary Romance/Harlequin American
Year/Setting: Current/South Carolina
Overall Rating: 4.5
Sexual Content Rating: Mildly Sexual
Language (Profanity) Rating: None
Violent Content Rating: None
Charlotte's Website: None found
Caroline Tuttle has spent the last few years living for her mother. She great up in Pleasant Valley and loves Pleasant Valley (along with her mother) but between her mother shutting down after her father’s death and taking care of the Bed and Breakfast her mother owns, Caroline is about ready to explode. The only thing keeping her going is the dream of having enough money (which should be in about a year) and throwing her bags in the car before taking off for somewhere out West. She doesn’t have a destination in mind - - maybe new Mexico, maybe Arizona but just somewhere out West, far away from South Carolina.
The other thing maintaining her sanity are her mother’s regular visits to a nearby town to visit her sister once a week and Caroline’s subsequent visits to her dear friend Eileen. Eileen might be older but she was as dear to Caroline as any person in her life and always managed to put a smile on her face and steer her in the right direction. Eileen was probably the person Caroline would most miss when she moved out West.
Or at least she thought so until the day Eileen passed away and Caroline discovered that she was Eileen’s sole beneficiary which meant she inherited Blackberry Farm. Blackberry Farm was just outside of town and had great fields, pastures, orchards, beautiful main house and farm buildings and then two smaller houses set apart from the main buildings for previous farm workers. After accepting Eileen was gone, Caroline realized she could sell the farm and make her dream of moving out West a reality now. Except (isn’t there always an except??) there was a letter with the will addressed to Caroline.
Eileen must have had a premonition she was going to pass away because she laid out two requests for Caroline even though she knew it would prolong her time in Pleasant Valley. Request one was that she had rented out one of the smaller houses to a fireman from the city who needed some rest and relaxation and was going to work on his sculptures. The other request was that Eileen had agreed to become a foster parent for a dear, sweet, orphaned little girl. She wanted Caroline to take her on at least for awhile until some place just right could be found for her. So, do these two requests delay the fulfillment of Caroline’s dream or become it?
The way that Charlotte wrote this story I gotta say I got to the end and kept thinking Eileen would come knocking at the door saying made the whole thing up, I just wanted to make you guys a family. Eileen appeared in various ways all throughout the book in great ways and even though she wasn’t physically on earth, she couldn’t have orchestrated things any better if she had been.
Caroline has a great deal of untapped love, strength and confidence if it can only be pushed out while Ethan (the artist/fireman) has a lot of guilt, pain and doubt. If they can help each other through these mine fields, just maybe they can together help one little girl who really needs a break. So while Charlotte says "Shoulda Been a Cowboy" maybe just a man with a big heart will do! 
Lori
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