Series: Boones of Texas (Book 4)
A DISTRACTION HE DOESN'T NEED!
Archer Boone's whole life revolves around his work at his
family's ranch and horse refuge. Animals are just so much less complicated than
people. But he needs to get the refuge's financial paperwork in order so he can
secure his funding. When Eden Caraway arrives to work on his books, Archer
can't afford to be distracted by the beautiful single mom and her two adorable
daughters.
Eden Caraway is really Eden Monroe, and she is determined
to earn her father's respect. So if he wants to pull funding from Archer
Boone's horse refuge, she'll make it happen. But Eden is falling for Archer,
and she dreams of staying at Boone Ranch. How can she reveal her real reason
for being there and risk losing her heart?
Good book. Archer runs the horse refuge on his family's
ranch. He much prefers dealing with the animals rather than people. He is in
the middle of trying to get the refuge's financial paperwork in order before
one of their donor's board meetings so that he can secure more funding. It
isn't going so well, as his surly attitude has driven away every temp
accountant who has tried.
Eden is on her way to the ranch to check the paperwork.
Her father is one of the board members and is determined to pull the funding
from the refuge. She's been trying to earn his respect for years, and maybe
finding the information he wants will do it. But when she arrives at the ranch,
Archer mistakes her for the next temp and puts her to work right away, and she
doesn't enlighten him.
I liked the development of their relationship. There are
sparks between them from the start, but both try to resist. Archer because
she's an employee and because he just doesn't do relationships. Eden because
she is lying to him about who she is and has no intention of staying around. But
Eden finds herself admiring the work that Archer is doing and more and more
reluctant to go along with her father's plans. Add in the softer side of him
that she sees when he is around her daughters and she knows that she is in
trouble. Archer discovers that Eden and her girls have worked their way past
the walls he has around his heart. He doesn't quite know what to do with the
feelings he has for them. It was sweet to see him with little Ivy. I especially
enjoyed the scene at the vet hospital with the kitten. I liked the way that
Archer's appreciation of Eden's abilities with the paperwork and her girls
gives her a boost of confidence she never gets from her hypercritical father
and ex-husband. The more they are together, the more Archer wants Eden to stay
around. Eden wants to stay also, but her guilt over her deception is tearing
her up. She knows she has to come clean before they can move forward, but she's
afraid of his reaction. I ached for her when she did and it was as bad as she
expected. Luckily for Archer, his dad had some very good advice for him. I
liked his big moment at the end, as a bit of his vulnerability showed through
the gruff exterior.
As for the funding of the refuge, Eden discovered that
there was much more going on there than she had expected. She didn't understand
her father's attitude, especially considering her late mother's support of the
refuge. Some conversations with Archer's father, and the chance to read her
mom's letters to Archer's mom, brought about some new insight. There was an
unexpected appearance by Eden's ex, who tried to apply his own pressure. There
was a surprising twist at the end, which answered many of Eden's questions. It
also gave her the ammunition she needed to present to the board in Archer's
favor. I loved seeing her stand up to her father, and disliked him even more by
the end of the book.
I also enjoyed the secondary story involving Eden's nanny
and Archer's father. Teddy is a great guy and I loved his support of Eden, as
well as the close relationship he has with his family. It was sweet to see him
with the little girls, and finding a second chance at love.
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