In Love's Long Journey, the third movie directed by Michael Landon Jr. for Hallmark Channel's Love Comes Softly series, Missie (now played by Erin Cottrell) and Willie LaHaye (Logan Bartholomew) have left the wagon train and arrived to take claim to their homestead and start their ranch. Willie hires a few ranch hands, and Missie meets their Native American neighbor Miriam Red Hawk McClain (Irene Bedard). Even though Missie has a chance to teach some of the Native American children, she is desperately homesick, and danger may be lurking around the corner for the LaHayes. 

Though I haven't read Love's Long Journey by Janette Oke, based upon reviews, the movie leaves out the first half of the book, which is the LaHayes' time on the wagon train. Instead, it opens with Missie and Willie departing from the wagon train and stopping in town at the general store and land office before heading out to land that has been deeded to him. The rest of the movie is all about them settling in, getting the ranch going, and the dangers and life changes they face along the way.

While Love Comes Softly remains my favorite movie, Love's Long Journey is a fabulous film with tons of great characters who become part of Missie and Willie's new life. Dale Midkiff reprises his role as Missie's father, Clark Davis. He has two cameos in this film as he corresponds with Missie from across the miles. 

With the luxury of being able to watch one movie after the other in a series, you tend to pick up inconsistencies along the way. Suddenly, Missie, who told Marty in Love Comes Softly that she makes good fried chicken and teased Marty because she couldn't cook, can no longer cook, which comes up a couple of times. It reminded me of a similar inconsistency in Little House on the Prairie, where depending upon the episode, Charles could or could not cook. 

Love's Long Journey is a fine installment of this series. Though you could always watch only one movie, there is so much value in following the Davis family saga from the beginning.