“Will you marry me?”
When Josie LeClaire went into labor alone on her farm,
the single almost-mother had no one to turn to but her neighbor, Miles
Halstead. Fortunately, the widowed single father was more than up to the task.
And as he found himself unable to stay away from the lovely Josie -- and her
adorable newborn son -- he realized he wanted her in his life as more than a
friend.
Josie treasured what Miles had already come to mean to
her and her baby. So when he uttered those four words, of course she said yes.
Even if he couldn't say the three words she really wanted to hear…
Terrific friends to lovers story. Josie is the true
farmer of the family and is in charge of Wild Rose Farm after her sister Payton
and Aunt Marilyn found love in the first book of the series (The Father of Her Sons) and moved away to be with their men. Josie intrigued me from the start
with her independence and determination. After several failed relationships,
she gave up on finding "The One" but not on her dream of being a
mother. A visit to a sperm bank and her wish is about to come true.
As the book opens, Josie is in labor, snow is falling,
and her sisters and aunt aren't due to arrive yet. With no landline and unable
to find her cellphone to call an ambulance, Josie walks to the farm next door
and pounds on the door. Miles, a widower and single father, handled the
emergency calmly and competently, delivering young David Miles with a minimum
of fuss. I loved how he encouraged Josie when she doubted herself and
distracted her when she needed it.
That support continued after Josie had the baby and her
family returned to their homes. Though Josie hangs on to her independence,
there are times when she appreciates the help. And as the occasional check-in
turns into near-daily lunches together, Miles and Josie quickly find they have
a lot in common. There are some adorable scenes of Davy and Miles, who can't get
enough time with the sweet baby. Also in common is their mutual refusal to
believe in love. Josie's relationships ended badly, and Miles's story of his
wife's betrayal was heartbreaking.
The more time they spend together, the deeper their
friendship grows. That friendship makes Miles realize how much he's missed
having a wife - a companion, a confidant, a partner, and a lover. He shocked
Josie when he proposed that they marry and that their friendship will make a
better basis for marriage than s-called love. Remembering her romantic failures
leads her to accept Miles's proposal.
Their marriage gets off to a great start. The attraction
between Miles and Josie is fantastic; their teamwork working the two farms and
caring for their blended family goes smoothly, and life is good. Then Josie
realizes that her feelings for Miles have grown beyond friendship. She knows he
hasn't changed his stance on love, so what should she do? I ached for Josie,
who doesn't want to lose Miles, but she can't go on pretending. I could feel
her trepidation as she worked up the courage to face him with those feelings. I
liked seeing her stand up for her needs and her belief that he loves her. I
wanted to shake Miles, who did not react well to her confession.
I ached for both as their fears created a chasm between
them. I loved seeing Miles get hit with advice from his girls and his mother. At
the same time, Josie's sister Alex forced her to face some uncomfortable truths
about her part in the problem. I loved the ending and seeing them brought
together by a family crisis, getting them past the pride that kept them apart. I
especially liked the reality of Miles's confession that he's "working
on" his issues because something that deep isn't going to go away quickly.
I enjoyed the bits with Miles's daughters, Ashley (16)
and Hazel (13). Ashley's problems with her dad were believable and well-illustrated.
I felt sorry for Miles, whose confusion over her attitude was plain to see. The
love between them was evident, as was the frustration. Hazel was sweet. I liked
how she jumped in to help Josie with her rescue animals and her enthusiasm for
taking care of Davy. She's observant for her age, and I enjoyed her take on the
things she saw.
Now I can't wait to read Alex's story.
No comments:
Post a Comment