“A Cowboy To Love,” by Rick Steber.

Rick Steber’s latest novel, “A Cowboy To Love,” follows the torrid affair of an Enterprise woman and a notorious womanizing rodeo star set in the 1950s in Wallowa County.

Josephina “Jo” Walker grew up in Wallowa County during the Depression, and escaped from the hardships of life in a small town at the local movie theater, drinking in the romantic lives of movie stars like Clark Gable, Nelson Eddy, Greta Garbo and Jean Harlow. When the county’s young men returned from World War II, Jo was swept up in the excitement when the most eligible bachelor in the group set his sights on her.

A whirlwind romance and elopement turned into hard reality on the banks of the Snake River, where Jo’s husband owns a ranch. The romance of the silver screen had not prepared Jo for the hard work and isolation of life as a ranch wife. A few years and two children later, Jo retreats to Enterprise to raise her brood alone.

A chance meeting with Jimmy McDaniel, a notorious cowboy with a penchant for beautiful women, not only brings romance back to Jo’s life, but strife as well. Carrying on a torrid affair with a married man is just not done in 1950s Wallowa County. And her ex-husband is none too happy with the lifestyle his children are being exposed to.

Steber, the author of more than 40 novels running the gamut of the Western experience, examines the double standard of societal norms for men and women in 1950s America in “A Cowboy To Love.” While McDaniel’s playboy lifestyle is frowned upon, Jo’s involvement with him is the scandal of the town. Will Jo give up everything she has accomplished for a shot at a storybook romance, or will the excitement lose its luster before it’s too late?

Rick Steber’s books can be found online at www.ricksteber.com, and at local bookstores.