4. Angelina is one tough cookie, but there are so many more layers to her psyche. What strikes you the most about her character?
5. How do you see Hobbs’s and Murt’s roles in this story? What is it about this pair of old-time cowboys that glues the Stafford family together?
6. Colt can’t remember his mother’s face when the story begins. Her pictures were put away after her death, and he can hear her voice, but can’t see her face. And then, the aroma of Isabo’s rhubarb pie brings back her image. Had Colt blocked the image because it was too painful to remember? Or is it simply a little boy without enough time to make a permanent memory?
7. Sam Stafford is his own enigma. Struck with bad health in the midst of change, he’s unable to fix things himself. He’s frustrated and angry. How does having to step aside and let his sons handle things help Sam? Do you find yourself able to hand over the reins as needed? Or do you struggle to maintain control?
8. Colt’s decision to intervene and bring Isabo and Noah to the main house is a turning point in many ways. When you see something that needs to happen, where do you get the courage to see it through?
9. Angelina’s torn by her love of family, her jobs, her position, and her career. Guilt has steered her for years, but the town fire holds up a looking glass. She sees the woman she needs to be, a trained officer, a defender. When faced with opposing choices, how do we decide what’s best, and in a very “me-first” society, should we always put our own needs first?
10. Colt’s introspect and intuition are fed by Hobbs’s and Murt’s wisdom. He trusts them where he’s never been able to trust family. What makes a trusted outsider so important to a dysfunctional family?
11. Colt doesn’t have just one wake-up call. God tweaks him with a series of nudges, but those nudges culminate in a decision when he meets Coach Irvine’s wife at the burned-out church. When you’re finally ready to take a stand or make a decision, where do you find the courage to stick to it? Colt was offered a golden opportunity by Wall Street standards, to come back into a position of power and watch his former boss squirm. And yet, he shrugs it off. Why is he able to turn his back on Lower Manhattan then?
12. Angelina was waiting to be hurt. She predicted it. She steeled herself against it. And when it happened, she knew she’d been foolish all along. But she was wrong, and how easy is it for us silly humans to prepare ourselves for a downfall instead of clinging to the joy of optimism? Do you guard your emotions so you don’t get overly invested? Or do you jump in with both feet and sometimes become unpleasantly surprised?
13. This story pits two strong families against each other. The Castigliones have lived two generations of sacrificial love, and Angelina carries on that tradition. The Staffords have lived for self-gratification and bear the weight of that now. How do two such diverse families blend to strengthen one another? And could that happen in real life? If so, how?
Back in the Saddle Page 26