Her Perfect Hero

Toni Graham is a young girl with an active imagination who fantasizes about a blond, blue eyed hero saving her from the perils of life.
After her father's death, a half-breed Indian known as Maverick, Horse with Spirit, escorts her on a treacherous journey to her sister's ranch out west.
Toni stubbornly refuses to see the truth of what a "real" hero consists of. Even after Maverick nearly dies from knife wounds, (saving her from renegades,) snake bites, wild beasts, and other perils, she's not swayed.