Greetings again from the darkness. If the Hallmark Channel produced a Western Romance movie, it would likely look much like this one from writer-director John Schimke, who along with co-writer Mike Maden, adapted the 2009 novel from Caroline Fyffe for the silver screen. Filmed in Montana, there are some terrific landscape shots displaying the vastness of the 19th century frontier.
Chase (Trevor Donovan, “90201”) stops into a saloon with his buddy Nathan (C Thomas Howell). While Nathan seems right at home with the booze, women, and gambling, Chase heads up to his room alone, despite the temptations of the ladies. Awakened by shots fired, Chase finds Nathan lying in a pool of blood … the result of cheating at poker. Chase rides off to inform Nathan’s wife – although he softens the tale quite a bit.
As a widow, Jessie (Ashley Elaine) finds herself with a ranch in need of a man and herself in need of a ‘pretend’ husband so that she can finalize an adoption. It turns out that Chase is not only the hunkiest blond cowboy, he’s also the most upstanding and he agrees to help her. Chase also finds many reasons to go shirtless, and Jessie, who sports entirely too much make-up for a prairie woman, doesn’t mind one bit.
Jessie has a loyal friend in town named Mrs. Hollyhock (Michelle Hurd, “The Glades”), and she’s also being stalked by the required villain drifter (Rob Mayes) … a man who is quite the contrast to our hero, Chase. There is little doubt where this one is headed, and there are few, if any, twists or surprises along the way. Only the visuals of the setting prevent this one from being total cornball, however, these days we should be thankful for any story about a decent man who treats others well.
In select theaters on OnDemand beginning October 24, 2025
Posted by David Ferguson 
Movie Reviews from the Dark 