A Teacher on the Run.
A Bountry Hunter in Pursuit.
Can two enemies learn to trust each other
before they both lose what they hold most dear?
Stone Hammond is the best tracker in Texas. He never comes home empty-handed. So when a wealthy railroad investor hires him to find his abducted granddaughter, Stone eagerly accepts.
Charlotte Artherton, former headmistress of Sullivan's Academy for Exceptional Youths, will do anything to keep her charges safe, especially the orphaned girl entrusted to her care. Charlotte promised Lily's mother she'd keep the girl away from her unscrupulous grandfather, and nothing will stop Charlotte from fulfilling that pledge. Not even the handsome bounty hunter with surprisingly honest eyes who comes looking for them.
When Miss Atherton produces documentation that shows her to be Lily's legal guardian, Stone must reevaluate everything she's been led to believe. Is she villain or victim?
Then a new danger forces Charlotte to trust the man sent to destroy her. Stone vows to protect what he once sought to tear apart. Besides, he's ready to start a new pursuit: winning Charlotte's heart.
Review: Karen Witemeyer's novels are a must-have on any summer to-be-read pile. They are the iconic vacation read: light, funny, charming, sweet, and always possessing of at least one gorgeous guy - in this case, the gorgeous guy happens to be a tough cowboy turned bounty hunter. Irresistible, don't you think?
As much as this book has a few minor plot twists and turns, it is not meant to be an edge-of-your-seat type read. The plot moves along well enough to keep the reader interested, but it is truly the characters that are the reason behind this novel. Charlotte is a very self-assured woman whoes life has taught her some harsh lessons about being independent and self-reliable. She takes her job of caring for her three young charges very seriously and focuses all her energy on bettering them and ensuring their remarkable talents are developed. As for herself, Charlotte views herself as a washed up old spinster - too old and starched to even think about a husband and children of her own. Why then is her traitorous body pulling her towards the handsome bounty hunter who threatens to pull her make-shift family apart? With her heart tearing her in to very different directions, Charlotte goes to war with the longing in her soul for a husband and the deeply engrained mistrust she has of men.
For his part, Stone is finished with bounty hunting. He's lived the wild life for years, and he's ready to retire his old war horse to the barn and hang up his pistols. The reward for bringing back little Lily to her grandfather is a large one - a number big enough to retire on. What Stone isn't expecting is to find that his employer is a dangerous, scheming man and that the supposedly awful 'abductor' is really a wonderful woman who has legal right to Lily. Placed in the rather unfortunate position between Lily's ominous grandfather and the sweet Charlotte, Stone is forced to come up with some crafty ideas of his own - and fast - to get them all to the other side safely.
As much as this novel was rather predictable I still really enjoyed it. Charlotte and Stone were rather adorable together - and Stone's big tough-guy personality made for some great reading. Karen Witemeyer is a solid writer, and I have no complaints on that front. Her writing is easy to read and has never distracted me from the story. I also don't want to forget to mention that the three children in this book were great comic relief and were strong little charcters in their own right. They really added to the overall story.
This is definately a summer read to put in your book bag!
This book was provided compliments of Graf Martin Communications and Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group, in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank-you for the book!
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