Read December 10, 2016Series: Brands of Montana (Book 6)
All Taylor Brand wanted was a baby of her own
But at nearly forty and recently divorced, embarking on a
"solo" trek on the Continental Divide Trail, her time was tight and
her options slim. Maybe the curt cowboy who'd been charged with watching out
for her was her best shot. After all, Clint McAllister was shadowing her on a
high-country horseback trip for the money. Would he be up for being hired for
something else?
Classy ladies like Taylor didn't normally give a rough
rodeo-rider like him a second glance…much less ask him to father a baby. And
while Clint didn't need an excuse to take Taylor to bed, he did wonder if this
plan was perhaps the wisest. Who knew what would happen once he got to taste
the forbidden?
Good book. Taylor is nearly forty and recently divorced.
Desperate for a change in her life, she has challenged herself to spend a month
on the Continental Divide Trail. Her overprotective uncle won't agree to her
going alone and has assigned cowboy Clint to be her trailguide. She's not happy
about it, but she doesn't have a choice. Clint isn't any happier than she is,
especially when he finds out how long she plans to be out. But he's been off
the rodeo circuit for awhile due to injury and he needs the money, so he'll
just have to suck it up and do it.
I really enjoyed the development of their relationship.
From unwilling companions to friends to lovers, it was a voyage of discovery
for both of them. When they first met, Clint thought Taylor was a clueless city
woman and she thought he was a slightly scary drunk. But after a couple days of
practically ignoring each other, they decided to make the best of things and
work together. It wasn't long before Clint saw that Taylor had put a lot more
thought into this trek than he'd realized and he grew to respect her
determination. Taylor began to see that there was much more to the rough cowboy
that she had thought. I loved seeing them get to know each other, with a
background of their love of nature. There were times when I felt like I was right
there with them.
Partway through the trip, Taylor put a business proposal
in front of Clint. She will pay his debts, allowing him to get back to
rodeoing, if he will get her pregnant. Both will get what they want with no
obligations on either side. Right from the start the connection between them is
deeper than either expected, even after they got back to the ranch. When their
plan is quickly successful, neither is quite ready to let go. As Clint returned
to the road and Taylor's pregnancy progressed, they stayed in touch, growing
ever closer.
I loved how Clint returned to support her when problems
with the pregnancy arose. His care for her was more important to him that his
rodeo career. What was really nice was that their realization of their feelings
was a result of how close they'd gotten, not the result of some argument or
disaster. I also adored how Clint fell under the spell of baby Penny.
I really liked both Clint and Taylor. Both had issues at
the beginning that they had to overcome. Thanks to her divorce and problems
that came up during her marriage, her self-confidence was pretty low. Her trip
on the Trail, and then her pregnancy and subsequent relationship with Clint
went a long way toward fixing that. She especially had poor body image, and
Clint had a bit of a battle to show her that she was exactly what he wanted.
For his part, Clint knows that he drinks too much and smokes too much. He also
feels that without even a high school diploma Taylor is way too good for him.
What she quickly came to see was that he was actually very smart, being a man
who reads and listens. I loved how he set out to make changes in his lifestyle
to better fit the life he wants. I'm looking forward to seeing more of them in
future books.
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