I’m from rural America and am partial to westerns, cowboys, and dialogue as cut and dried as jerky. A hint of romance can be nice, too. I got a taste of that right away in A Cowboy’s Heart with well-written lines like “The simple cadence of a horse’s steady gait soothed Anna’s soul like an age-old lullaby,” and “…your church ladies have been stuffin’ me with enough casserole to spackle a barn!”
But A Cowboy’s Heart became less a western and more an ornamental love story for romantics as the story progressed–though it did happen to be set on the range. Contrasting the familiar small town America setting, Nwaocha’s third person narration is eloquent and flowery, an example of which is captured in the emotions of our protagonist after she touches her love interest’s hand: “Anna realized a delicious chill had blossomed outward from that momentary point of contact. Spreading beckoning tendrils of electric awareness along her nerve endings until her entire body felt effervescent, buoyant, gloriously unshackled from its earthly confines.” The writing itself is passionate and effervescent, which suits our sweet, educated, and reluctant protagonist well. She’s not alone, either. Gabe soon befriends her and reflects on Anna’s beauty: “Why Miss Anna…I daresay the good Lord’s radiant glory outshone itself somethin’ fierce when your chapter in this world’s great book unfurled…any paltry words I could put together wouldn’t begin to capture the vision here before me.”
For folks looking for a classic gun slinging western, A Cowboy’s Heart isn’t it. For those interested in a well written Christian romance with vivid descriptions and emotionally rich language, this short story is an engaging read. It’s clean, too. So, if you’re after a love story where hearts beat like the rhythm of hoofbeats on the trail–where two souls find their destinies intertwined amidst the encircling dust and romantic dreams of the Wild Midwest, this may be the short story for you! (I liked it enough to read a few more of Nwaocha’s short stories, too. Seen and Known and Loves, Lattes, & Second Chances were also engaging tales and shared similar narrative styles with pairings of new sweet and passionate characters.)
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