Review - Back Forty by BA Tortuga

Rusty inherited his grandparents’ farm and is trying to make a go of it. It’s hard work, but he can’t afford to hire help. One day, Rusty stops to help another man, Wayne, whose truck has broken down near the farm. Wayne also grew up on a farm and is “between jobs” as a ranch hand, so he agrees to help Rusty out for room and board. The two men are attracted to each other, and eventually they give in to their desires.

This contemporary rural romance is a short and spicy tale of two lonely men that fate throws together. There’s not much drama to this novelette-length story. The plot is more or less linear, from the two men meeting through to the expected happily ever after.

The narration alternates between Rusty and Wayne. The two are really the only characters in the story. We get to know them reasonably well, although they don’t talk much about their backgrounds. I feel like there’s more to Wayne’s story about why he drifts from job to job, but that’s a point of curiosity. It doesn’t detract from the story.

“Back Forty” is available from Smashwords or see BookBub for other online sources for your copy.