Charlie Sutton runs Sutton Station the only way he knows how; the way his father did before him. Determined to keep his head down and his heart in check, Charlie swears the red dirt that surrounds him – isolates him – runs through his veins.
American agronomy student Travis Craig arrives at Sutton Station to see how farmers make a living from one of the harshest environments on earth. But it’s not the barren, brutal and totally beautiful landscapes that capture him so completely, it’s the man with the red dirt heart.
I first read this several years ago and forgot that the main character is meant to be 25 – I’d have guessed more like 30 based on his demeanor and business success, but 25 probably fits better with his arc. Charlie comes off pretty standoffish with his crew and a little bit of a jerk screwing with the new guy at first. In the second book his moods are very hot and cold.
The first book has a better throughline, with the second book including much more angst that the main character himself doesn’t fully understand – though the two together offer a more complete story of their relationship. (I reread this because I want to write multiple books about the same couple.) I think multiple books works when there’s a more complicated mental obstacle to overcome, that they might work through in stages – at first enough to let them get together, then enough to stay together.
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