Part Two: Erin Krakow and Ryan Paevey Give the Romance Its Spark
The biggest reason the story works is the relationship between Samantha and Richard. Erin Krakow brings a grounded quality to Sam, making her feel capable, independent, and emotionally connected to the ranch she calls home. Ryan Paevey, meanwhile, gives Richard the polished confidence of someone accustomed to getting what he wants, while allowing the character’s softer side to emerge as his circumstances change.
Their contrast creates much of the movie’s charm. Sam knows the ranch and the life surrounding it; Richard arrives as an outsider. That difference gives them plenty of opportunities to challenge each other’s assumptions. Rather than making their relationship instantly effortless, the movie lets their connection develop through familiarity, humor, disagreement, and small moments of understanding.
Krakow and Paevey were also working together for the first time in the film, according to an interview Krakow gave around the movie’s premiere. She spoke positively about working with director David Winning, with whom she already had a professional relationship, and described the familiarity with some of the supporting cast as helpful when creating the relationships on screen.
That sense of comfort shows in the finished movie. Their performances are not built around exaggerated declarations. Instead, the appeal comes from watching two very different people gradually become interested in the world the other person represents. Richard has to look beyond the business proposition in front of him, while Sam has to consider whether someone from outside her familiar world might actually understand what matters to her.
There is also something particularly enjoyable about seeing Krakow outside the period-inspired world many viewers associate with her work on When Calls the Heart. In A Summer Romance, she gets to trade dresses and historical surroundings for jeans, boots, ranch work, and a much more contemporary character. That change gives her performance a different energy while preserving the warmth that audiences appreciate.
Paevey is equally well suited to Richard’s role. His character begins with a professional objective, but the ranch gradually introduces him to a slower and more personal way of looking at life. His appeal comes from allowing that transformation to happen without making Richard suddenly feel like a completely different person.
The romance ultimately succeeds because neither character simply “wins.” They influence one another. Sam reminds Richard that some things are worth protecting because of what they mean, while Richard encourages Sam to consider possibilities beyond the boundaries she has always known. That exchange gives the relationship more emotional substance than a simple opposites-attract formula.
