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Titled Texans #3
Runaway Ranch
A marriage of convenience with a twist.
Third son and vicar Cameron Worthington never expected to be part of a shotgun wedding – and certainly not as the groom. But when he wakes up in a barn after a storm to find the farmer pointing a gun at him and demanding he marry a very frightened – and very pregnant – young woman, Cam does what any gentleman would and says “I do.” His bride, Caroline Allen, doesn’t know what to make of the handsome British parson, but she’s more than grateful to escape her father’s wrath, and her own shame at having been seduced, then deserted, by a local outlaw. The couple travel to her uncle’s ranch to wait out her pregnancy, where Cam becomes involved in local politics, and Caroline prepares to leave him as soon as the baby is born. But fate – and love – have other things in mind for the couple, who maybe, just maybe, belong together after all. Originally published in 2000 under the title Runaway Ranch, The Runaway is the third volume in the Titled Texans series about a family of English nobility who set out to tame the American west.
Originally published under the title "Runaway Ranch"
Third son and vicar Cameron Worthington never expected to be part of a shotgun wedding – and certainly not as the groom. But when he wakes up in a barn after a storm to find the farmer pointing a gun at him and demanding he marry a very frightened – and very pregnant – young woman, Cam does what any gentleman would and says “I do.” His bride, Caroline Allen, doesn’t know what to make of the handsome British parson, but she’s more than grateful to escape her father’s wrath, and her own shame at having been seduced, then deserted, by a local outlaw. The couple travel to her uncle’s ranch to wait out her pregnancy, where Cam becomes involved in local politics, and Caroline prepares to leave him as soon as the baby is born. But fate – and love – have other things in mind for the couple, who maybe, just maybe, belong together after all. Originally published in 2000 under the title Runaway Ranch, The Runaway is the third volume in the Titled Texans series about a family of English nobility who set out to tame the American west.
Originally published under the title "Runaway Ranch"
317 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 1, 2010
Runaway Ranch was one of those books that I had no trouble reading and enjoying at all. I started it, and I got sucked right in. There's nothing particularly standout about this story. But it succeeded in being an enjoyable read when I needed one. I especially love the British Hero in the Wild West theme. And Camden is definitely that, but also a clergyman. I liked that he had a sense of honor that caused him to accept responsibility for something that he was not at all guilty of. He could have walked away from pregnant with no husband in sight Caroline, and felt not a moment's remorse. Instead, he allowed her father to think he was the father, and married her. Marrying Caroline ended up being a complication that this young vicar didn't need. He had basically been sent away from England in disgrace because of his involvement in a miner and landowner dispute, and the landowner happened to be his patron. His father, the Earl of Devonshire, was less than impressed with him, and gaining an appointment as a clergyman in Houston was his chance to redeem himself. Instead, he ended married to a pregnant girl, and working for free as a cowpuncher. But the best blessings come in disguise. Unfortunately, he will find himself in another sticky situation when tensions arise between the cowboys and the landowners. Cam was a good guy. He really wanted to do the right thing, but he also had human needs and desires. Caroline chose very wisely when she picked him as her husband.
Caroline didn't speak up when her father assumed the man who was sleeping in his barn was her baby's father, nor when he forces the very attractive young Englishman to marry her at gunpoint. But she couldn't. She had messed up big time, and something inside of her urged her to take hold of this man, as a chance to make things right. Despite these large errors in judgment, and that of chasing after and getting pregnant by an outlaw, Caroline was very likeable. In fact, her flaws made her relatable and human. She really did want what was best for Cam, and felt bad for putting a wrench in his plans. She knew that an earl's son was way too high above her reach, and was ready to let him go, until she fell in love with him. But when it's clear that she's really not the ideal bride for Cam, is she willing to let him go? She shows that she is more than willing to make a sacrifice of love, both for Cam, and her baby.
Runaway Ranch reminds me of my love of westerns. I love the setting, the plot elements, and the conventions of a western historical romance. I think there's a cowgirl living inside of me somewhere, despite growing up in the suburbs. And this book rekindles that excitement to read books in this setting. And the icing on the cake is the Englishman in the Old West. This makes a very pleasant read for me.
I loved the secondary love story between Caroline's uncle Bill, and the new schoolteacher, Estelle, who's hiding a scarlet past. This part really touched me because of the plight that this woman faced in her past, and how she tried to put it behind her, but some people are not eager to forget such things. I liked that Bill loved her for who she was, and she felt the same way for him. Love is accepting a person for who they are, and not holding their past against them.
This story has characters that I got involved with, and cared about. Not only that, it has a good message. We all make mistakes, but we can take measures to make better decisions in the future. Also, our mistakes serve a purpose. We grow from them, and they open doors to opportunities that we never considered that we might have in our lives.
I'm quite sure that the stickler will raise an eyebrow or two at the title errors that were made. Camden, who is the third son of an Earl, is called Lord Worthington. His proper form of address would be Lord Camden Worthington. As his wife, Caroline would be called Lady Camden. But that's nothing to throw the book across the room for, in my opinion. Also, the suspense plot is somewhat embryonic, involving a mentally unstable character from back East, who has designs on Carolyn's baby. But I liked the relationship between Cam and Caroline, and the side love story so much, this didn't really bother me.
For the enjoyable hours I spent reading this book, and the gems of wisdom it provided, I'd give it four stars. I'd recommend it, if you want a very readable western romance with an adorable hero and a sweet heroine.
Caroline didn't speak up when her father assumed the man who was sleeping in his barn was her baby's father, nor when he forces the very attractive young Englishman to marry her at gunpoint. But she couldn't. She had messed up big time, and something inside of her urged her to take hold of this man, as a chance to make things right. Despite these large errors in judgment, and that of chasing after and getting pregnant by an outlaw, Caroline was very likeable. In fact, her flaws made her relatable and human. She really did want what was best for Cam, and felt bad for putting a wrench in his plans. She knew that an earl's son was way too high above her reach, and was ready to let him go, until she fell in love with him. But when it's clear that she's really not the ideal bride for Cam, is she willing to let him go? She shows that she is more than willing to make a sacrifice of love, both for Cam, and her baby.
Runaway Ranch reminds me of my love of westerns. I love the setting, the plot elements, and the conventions of a western historical romance. I think there's a cowgirl living inside of me somewhere, despite growing up in the suburbs. And this book rekindles that excitement to read books in this setting. And the icing on the cake is the Englishman in the Old West. This makes a very pleasant read for me.
I loved the secondary love story between Caroline's uncle Bill, and the new schoolteacher, Estelle, who's hiding a scarlet past. This part really touched me because of the plight that this woman faced in her past, and how she tried to put it behind her, but some people are not eager to forget such things. I liked that Bill loved her for who she was, and she felt the same way for him. Love is accepting a person for who they are, and not holding their past against them.
This story has characters that I got involved with, and cared about. Not only that, it has a good message. We all make mistakes, but we can take measures to make better decisions in the future. Also, our mistakes serve a purpose. We grow from them, and they open doors to opportunities that we never considered that we might have in our lives.
I'm quite sure that the stickler will raise an eyebrow or two at the title errors that were made. Camden, who is the third son of an Earl, is called Lord Worthington. His proper form of address would be Lord Camden Worthington. As his wife, Caroline would be called Lady Camden. But that's nothing to throw the book across the room for, in my opinion. Also, the suspense plot is somewhat embryonic, involving a mentally unstable character from back East, who has designs on Carolyn's baby. But I liked the relationship between Cam and Caroline, and the side love story so much, this didn't really bother me.
For the enjoyable hours I spent reading this book, and the gems of wisdom it provided, I'd give it four stars. I'd recommend it, if you want a very readable western romance with an adorable hero and a sweet heroine.
November 21, 2010
The sweet Brit hero is supposedly blonde, so why the hell is the dude on the cover black-haired ?
July 27, 2023
I haven't read any of the other books in this series (books that tell the stories of Cam's– the ML– older brothers) but frankly I feel like you don't NEED to read them to understand the backstory. Whatever involvement or importance previous characters have is easily explained, so if you are worried about being lost coming in later in the book, you shouldn't be.
Writing wise, the prose is well done. The words flow easily, and the author does a good job at setting a scene, which I appreciate. I'll be honest, I was quite enjoying the book for about 90% of it, I felt it handled the concept of people desperate to find their place in the world, or to escape the shadows of their past, in a very good way. I really sympathized with both the ML and FL for the majority of the book, and I really appreciated that they didn't have many of the overdone tropes most romance novels fall into, such as petty jealousy, former lovers coming to stir up drama, complete lack of communication.....until the very last quarter of the book.
The concept is good. The writing is decent. For so much of the book, I was truly enraptured and was curious to see how things turned out. But it was as if the author ran out of steam in the last third of the book, and just had to rush an ending by tying up all these threads that were pulled and left hanging. It was so unsatisfactory, which made it even worse somehow because it started out so promising.
Writing wise, the prose is well done. The words flow easily, and the author does a good job at setting a scene, which I appreciate. I'll be honest, I was quite enjoying the book for about 90% of it, I felt it handled the concept of people desperate to find their place in the world, or to escape the shadows of their past, in a very good way. I really sympathized with both the ML and FL for the majority of the book, and I really appreciated that they didn't have many of the overdone tropes most romance novels fall into, such as petty jealousy, former lovers coming to stir up drama, complete lack of communication.....until the very last quarter of the book.
The concept is good. The writing is decent. For so much of the book, I was truly enraptured and was curious to see how things turned out. But it was as if the author ran out of steam in the last third of the book, and just had to rush an ending by tying up all these threads that were pulled and left hanging. It was so unsatisfactory, which made it even worse somehow because it started out so promising.
August 31, 2025
I really don’t know what I missed that other readers are loving to give this book a 4+ star rating. The only thing I can think is rewrites to go with the renaming.
I read the original 2001 paperback.
And it was boring. Put it on hold for 2 half way through, boring.
I didn’t really care for either main character. Both were fairly blah. Neither had real depth. I liked the idea of the premise but it just fell flat.
Also too many villains. But some turned out not to be?
What was up with the creepy Admiral? And his assistant just casually remember the young woman he use to have locked up?
Not sure what the point of bringing her ex-lover back was. He’s there then gone. Didn’t add to the plot or anything.
Cam has no real backbone. Does a horrible job at playing peacemaker.
I’m also not a fan of clergy romances in general so that didn’t help the appeal of the hero.
The only characters I really cared about were Uncle Bill and Estelle. They should have gotten their own book.
I read the original 2001 paperback.
And it was boring. Put it on hold for 2 half way through, boring.
I didn’t really care for either main character. Both were fairly blah. Neither had real depth. I liked the idea of the premise but it just fell flat.
Also too many villains. But some turned out not to be?
What was up with the creepy Admiral? And his assistant just casually remember the young woman he use to have locked up?
Not sure what the point of bringing her ex-lover back was. He’s there then gone. Didn’t add to the plot or anything.
Cam has no real backbone. Does a horrible job at playing peacemaker.
I’m also not a fan of clergy romances in general so that didn’t help the appeal of the hero.
The only characters I really cared about were Uncle Bill and Estelle. They should have gotten their own book.
February 28, 2018
Best of the series
Great all round sweet love story. Cowboys , Lords and Ladies, and a shotgun wedding. What's not to like. Heartwarming story of the 3rd son of an Earl who is trying to find his way without the advantage of money and prestige in the American west where Lords don't carry much weight . He is a sweet man whose convictions bring him up against the wealthy in support of the downtrodden which gets him into trouble with his sire and their ilk. Nevertheless he stands up for what he feels is right , including his new wife . Good story with a lot of moral dilemmas and the power of good over the powerful . Loved it .
Great all round sweet love story. Cowboys , Lords and Ladies, and a shotgun wedding. What's not to like. Heartwarming story of the 3rd son of an Earl who is trying to find his way without the advantage of money and prestige in the American west where Lords don't carry much weight . He is a sweet man whose convictions bring him up against the wealthy in support of the downtrodden which gets him into trouble with his sire and their ilk. Nevertheless he stands up for what he feels is right , including his new wife . Good story with a lot of moral dilemmas and the power of good over the powerful . Loved it .
October 22, 2015
Worthington trilogy
The Worthington trilogy was full of excitement adventure romance and I would recommend all three books. The books kept you at the edge waiting to see what happens next and once you start reading you don't want to stop until the end of the book so you can start the next one. I loved them
The Worthington trilogy was full of excitement adventure romance and I would recommend all three books. The books kept you at the edge waiting to see what happens next and once you start reading you don't want to stop until the end of the book so you can start the next one. I loved them
October 31, 2015
Another good book
Lovely story that follows a family through their arrival in the wild west of America the differences between there and England and finding love, friends and a new beginning
Lovely story that follows a family through their arrival in the wild west of America the differences between there and England and finding love, friends and a new beginning
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews