Ruth Book

Guess I liked the book fine, but it wasn't one of her better books. I'm just wondering how many of her leading females are going to threaten their men at gun point and still end up being loved and cherished by them by the end of the book. Ruth's situation didn't grab me as being sever enough to run away. She could have easily set things straight by announcing the misunderstanding. The old man was more annoying and silly than a fearful suitor. She wasn't in danger. Ruth was supposed to be this strong willed girl who could pull a gun on a large US Marshall and get what she wanted from him, but too frighten to stand up to a little old squirlly man wanting to marry her. She was inconsistent in her strengths. I wasn't sure how I felt about her. She was spunky, strong and hot tempered, but she was too helpless to detach herself from a silly old man.
And then I didn't understand why Dylan being this strong US Marshall man would allow himself to be misused by Mr. Ford as though he was some grunt worker, not a man used to being in control. It wasn't as if Mr. Ford was uninformed that Dylan was a US Marshall, why would he try to take advantage of him. Mr. Ford wasn't arrogant, just a real lousy man. It just didn't add up. I disliked how long it took them to travel 20 miles, even in the snow. I felt impatient for them to finally reach the little town. However, I did like the scene in the beginning when Ruth is ticked at Dylan because he has refused to help her run away. She dowses him with a bucket of water and runs for her life before he catches her and drops her in the watering trough outside. There were some fun moments, so the book was okay. I have not read any of the other series in this Brides of the West.