Series:
Last Ride, Texas (Book 6)
Family is always worth the fight
Lily Parkman has a Texas-size secret. For years, the
single mother has managed to keep the true identity of her daughter Hayden's
father under the saddle. But after a mysterious note turns up at Wild Springs
Ranch, Lily knows it's time to come clean…starting with Wild Springs' ruggedly
handsome foreman, Jonas Buchanan.
Jonas already suspects that his deceased brother is
Hayden's real father. Still, the widowed rancher isn't prepared for what Lily's
revelation means for their friendship -- or their future. They both soon
discover that when there's more to love, there's more at stake. And when a
troublesome figure from the past comes to Last Ride, they must fight like never
before…or risk losing their newfound family forever.
Terrific book about families - of the blood and the heart.
The depth of emotion as secrets were revealed kept me glued to the pages from
start to finish. This is the story of two teenagers and their parents whose
lives are upended when those secrets come to light.
Lily is the owner of Wild Springs Ranch. Her daughter
Hayden is fourteen years old. When Lily was a teenager, she fell in love with
Griff. When Griff died right after learning Lily was pregnant, her grief was
devastating. Cam, a good friend of hers and Griff's offered to marry her and
claim the baby as his. Though the marriage ended quickly, Lily never told
Hayden the truth. She knows she should, but the time never seemed right. Then a
note appears in the mailbox, claiming that "Dad" wants to tell the
truth. Lily is panicking, knowing she must tell Hayden before Cam shows up. Her
ranch foreman and business partner, Jonas, is Griff's older brother, and she
knows he needs to hear the truth from her.
Jonas is a widower with a fourteen-year-old stepson he's
raised since the boy was two. He thinks of Eli as his son, no "step"
about it. Jonas and Eli have a terrific relationship. Eli's mother, Maggie, was
the love of Jonas's life, and he still grieves her loss. Maggie never talked
about Eli's father, only saying he was bad news and not in their lives. Jonas
has long suspected that Hayden is his niece but has never said anything to
Lily.
Matters become highly complicated when Lily calls the
number on the note and discovers it isn't her ex on the other end of the line. Instead,
it is Eli's father, Bentley, who claims he never knew he had a son and wants to
be part of Eli's life. I ached for Jonas, who was gutted by the thought of this
man taking Eli away. I understood his wariness of a man who seems to appear out
of nowhere after so many years. It was hard to see Eli's happiness at getting
to know his bio dad when it was apparent how hard it was on Jonas.
Meanwhile, Lily tries to work up the courage to tell
Hayden the truth. That choice is taken out of her hands by another anonymous
note, this one attached to Hayden's bedroom window. I ached for Lily and Hayden
as Hayden's feelings of betrayal drove a wedge between her and her mother. I
liked how Lily's patience and understanding paid off. The emotions of the
cemetery scene were a two-tissue event.
During this time of upheaval, Lily and Jonas lean on each
other for support. Both are shocked to discover that under their long-standing friendship,
there now burns an undeniable attraction. They try to fight their feelings,
afraid of doing something that would destroy their friendship and make their
partnership awkward at best. I loved seeing how their mutual support and
understanding grew into so much more until they could no longer resist. I loved
the ending and seeing them surrender to the love they couldn't deny.
Meanwhile, Jonas and Lily have reservations about Bentley
and his sudden interest in Eli. The more I saw of him, the more I agreed that
there seemed to be something off about him. I understood Jonas's fear that he
was projecting his personal feelings and appreciated that he didn't interfere with
Eli's desire to get to know Bentley. What happened in the end wasn't much of a
surprise, but I hurt for Eli and his disillusionment.
A secondary storyline in the book is the town's tradition
of picking one person to research someone buried in the town graveyard. This
year's research project falls to Lily, and the subject is the town founder,
Hezzie Parkman. Even this won't be the easy project Lily hoped for, as Hezzie
had more than a few skeletons in her closet. Not everyone is happy about those
secrets being made public, and Lily has to walk a fine line. I laughed out loud
at some things old Hezzie got up to in her day. Her photography exploits were
especially notable, and seeing reactions to the pictures was fun. I liked how
Lily found a way to display honesty and discretion in her report.
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