"So much for staying out of trouble…"
Nathan Bell left his high-flying London life for the rolling green hills of New Zealand to shake off the shadows of his past and start again—under the radar. He should not be getting distracted by a feisty blonde who spells nothing but trouble!
Jessica Falls has her own reasons for keeping things with Nathan commitment-free…yet every kiss erodes her defenses. And when she discovers how much pain he's hiding, Jessica knows only she has the power to heal her broken billionaire!
Good story about two grieving people who find comfort and healing together. Jessica has returned to New Zealand to settle her grandfather's estate and finish healing from a devastating riding accident. There she meets Nathan, a sexy Englishman, who has been renting her grandfather's guest cottage. Nathan fled halfway across the world to escape the memories of the events that upended his world. Neither expected the attraction that flared between them.
I ached for Nathan. He is still haunted by the circumstances of his wife's death and his feeling of responsibility. He blames his workaholic ways for not seeing how unhappy she was. During his time in New Zealand, he has begun to make some changes in his lifestyle and attitudes, determined not to make the same mistakes in the future. The last thing that he wants before he's ready is to get involved with any woman.
I hurt for Jessica, too. Her grandfather's death was unexpected and happened right after her accident. She was stuck in the hospital in England and couldn't even get home for his funeral. Now she is home, not knowing if she'll ever be able to ride competitively again, and desperately missing the only family she'd had left. Having recently been burned in love, she's not too thrilled to be attracted to the guy in the guest cottage.
I liked the development of Jessica and Nathan's relationship. It started out a little rough, as Jessica's pain and exhaustion caused her to be less than polite and welcoming to Nathan. Fortunately, he was pretty laid back and understanding, and didn't fight back. As he had become good friends with Jessica's grandfather, they were able to bond a bit over their memories of the man. Nathan also found himself feeling rather protective toward Jessica. When Jessica expressed her doubts over the lawyer's news about her inheritance, Nathan offered to help her discover the truth. I liked watching them grow closer over their shared memories and enjoyment of the peace and solitude of the farm. I also liked the way that Jessica noticed the sadness in Nathan's eyes and wanted to help him. The scene at the market was pretty sweet as she got him to open up a little, though I had a feeling that the information he didn't share would come back to bit him later. Neither expected the passion that flared between them from one kiss. With Nathan's departure coming fast, they decided that giving in would not be dangerous to their plans to avoid relationships.
Then Nathan realized that he didn't want to be apart from Jessica quite yet. Just being around her made him feel better than he had since his wife's death. Though he has to return to get some work done, he invites her along, promising that he won't return to his workaholic ways and they will spend time together. I ached for Jessica because that's exactly what he did. I wanted to shake him so hard because he knew what he was doing and still kept doing it. Then his worst fear came to pass, and Jessica found out the truth about his wife's death. I liked that Jessica held onto her pride and stood up for her own needs. Her loneliness when she arrived home was eased somewhat by the surprise that Nathan had arranged for her, but she couldn't forget about her feelings for him. I liked his big moment at the end, as he made the changes in his life that were truly needed for him to have the future that he wanted. I also loved the surprise that Jessica had for him, regarding her inheritance.
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