Like many books in this genre, we deal with the desire to belong somewhere and with trust issues.

Sophie Armstrong is a single mother to Davy and Beth. Her late first husband was a "big kid" who often didn't seem to consider the results of his actions. Sophie's developed a catering business and relishes being in control and only trusting herself. She doesn't realize how this is affecting her kids.

Beth is a cute, innocent little girl who trusts in the Bible verses she's memorized. But she also longs for many friends. Davy is at the stage where he's beginning to learn that his actions affect others--something he learns more about as he helps out at Wranglers Ranch.

Tanner Johns was a street kid who was taken in and nurtured by Burt. Now that Burt's passed away, Tanner has inherited Wranglers Ranch (with a few stipulations) but feels he's lost the chance for the family he's always wanted. Tanner struggles with knowing he left a pregnant girl behind when he chose to go live with Burt. He also struggles with figuring out how to develop Burt's goals for Wrangler's Ranch, looking at only the big picture instead of being able to break it down into smaller steps. ( )