Clark Davis (Wes Brown) and Daniel Whittaker (David Tom) are fresh out of one scrape when they ride into the quiet town of Trinity to rest up before continuing their journey to the California gold fields.
Daniel quickly enlivens things by starting a fight in a local shop. By the time the dust settles, Sheriff Holden is hauling both young men off to his jail.
Daniel escapes in the middle of the night when a deputy falls asleep. Clark decides taking responsibility for his actions is a wiser option than being on the run from the law.
And Sheriff Holden has a good idea of how young Clark can work off his fine and the money he owes shop owner Millie for the damage done to her store.
He takes Clark to a small farm where Ellen Barlow (Julie Mond) and her younger sister Cassie (Abigail Mavity) are trying to make a go of it after losing both their parents.
A storm recently whipped through Trinity, causing substantial damage to their farm. Ellen needs a hired hand. And able-bodied men are hard to come thanks to the lure of those California gold fields.
Still, Ellen is reluctant. She witnessed the fight in town. And she’s wary of any man who’s eager to rush off to strike gold.
After all, she lost a beau, Jake Weller, to those gold fields two years earlier, and hasn’t heard from him since.
But Clark proves a handy guy to have around. And Cassie takes an immediate liking to him because Clark reminds her of their lost father.
That worries Ellen too. Because Clark still has California on his mind.
Julie Mond as Ellen Barlow, a single woman trying to run a farm with the help of younger sister Cassie in Love Begins (2010)
Wes Brown as Clark Davis, wondering what kind of punishment the sheriff has in store for him in Love Begins (2010)
Review:
A film in dire need of some subplots. In fact, in need of anything that would add at least a tiny bit of action of suspense to the plot.
Instead, we’re left with a very slow burn growth of a romance between a handsome stranger and a very hard-working but pretty young woman.
And that adds up to a very slow-moving film that isn’t exactly enlivened by laid back performances from both of our leads.
As a result, this winds up being one of the weaker films in the generally pretty entertaining “Love Comes Softly” series from Hallmark.
This marked the ninth film in that series and was intended as a prequel to the original film, which aired in 2003. Wes Brown and Julie Mond returned for “Love’s Everlasting Courage (2011), the next film in the series.
Abigail Mavity as Cassie Barlow, wondering if she’ll ever find her true love in Love Begins (2010)
Jere Burns as Sheriff Holden, breaking up a fight between four young men in Love Begins (2010)
Directed by:
David S. Cass Sr.
Cast:
Wes Brown … Clark Davis
Julie Mond … Ellen Louise Barlow
Abigail Mavity … Cassandra Mae Barlow
Jere Burns … Sheriff Holden
Nancy McKeon … Millie
David Tom … Daniel Whittaker
Steffani Brass … Rose
Dan Buran .. Samuel
Nathan Sutton … John
David Hoflin … Jake Weller
Runtime: 89 min.
Nancy McKeon as shopkeeper Millie, considering a proposal from the sheriff in Love Begins (2010)
David Tom as Daniel Whittaker, Clark Davis’s carefree sidekick, about to get into trouble again in Love Begins (2010)
Memorable lines:
Ellen to her younger sister Cassie: “True love is born of experience, not fairy dust.”
Ellen to her new hired hand: “Mr. Davis, I truly do not feel comfortable having the likes of you around. But we need some hired help, and you’re all there seems to be.”
Cassie, about her sister Ellen: “She’s not so onery once you get to know her.”
Clark Davis: “I might not live long enough to get to know her then.”
Cassie: “Chickens have been laying real good since you got here. I think they like you.”
Clark Davis: “Guess that makes me a regular ol’ rooster, huh?”
David Hoflin as Jake Weller, back from the gold fields and ready to settle down with Ellen in Love Begins (2010)
Abigail Mavity as Cassie Barlow and her best friend Rose (Steffani Brass), wondering if there’s about to be a change in Ellen’s romantic life in Love Begins (2010)
Wes Brown as Clark Davis, wondering if it’s time to leave Trinity and head to California in Love Begins (2010)
Jere Burns as Sheriff Holden and Julie Mond as Ellen Barlow discussing whether a young man fresh out of jail should work on her farm in Love Begins (2010)
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