Cassidy Harte and the Comeback Kid - RaeAnne Thayne (SIM #1144 - Apr 2002)

Series: Outlaw Hartes (Book 3)

NEVER A BRIDE?

Ten years ago, Cassidy Harte had stood at the altar waiting for Zach Slater. And when he didn't show up -- and was said to have disappeared with her brother's flirtatious wife -- she did the only thing she could do. Held her head up high. Helped raise her motherless niece. And swore never to get involved with a man again.

And then back into her life walked Zach -- with an "I'm sorry" on his lips, an explanation she refused to hear, and the vow that he would make her his once again. And this was one vow he was determined to keep....

Good second chance story. Ten years earlier the man that Cassidy had loved with all of her eighteen year old heart disappeared without a word a week before their wedding. He was seen leaving town with her brother's wild wife. Devastated, and feeling guilty that her man had destroyed her brother's life too, she devoted herself to caring for Matt's infant daughter and making a home for her two brothers. Now both of them have moved on with their lives, and her niece has a new mother and sister.

Cassidy feels a bit lost and without a real purpose, so she takes a job as the cook at a local guest ranch. She enjoys the work and the variety and meeting new people, even though she's never found anyone else she's willing to risk her heart on. She loves her elderly employer, and is sad but understanding when the woman sells the ranch to an unknown wealthy Denver businessman. She is stunned when the new owner arrives and it turns out to be Zach.

There were several reasons the Zach had left ten years ago, and none of them were because he didn't love Cassidy. In fact, one of the reasons he left was because he loved her too much to saddle her with a penniless drifter. Leaving hurt, but he thought he was doing the right thing. Over the next ten years he became a very successful man, but there was always something missing. Now he's returned to Salt River with the goal of winning her back.

It's not going to be as easy as he had hoped. Their initial meeting shows Zach just how bitter she is. She's the one who had to deal with the gossip and the pity. To make it worse, this is the first he's heard about Matt's wife leaving with him. He wants to explain, but first he has to get Cassidy to listen to him. Cassidy doesn't want to hear his excuses. The past is in the past and she wants it to stay there. But her heart isn't quite so ready to write off what they used to have together.

I really enjoyed Zach's persistence in trying to get back together with Cassidy. He knows he had gone about things the wrong way back then, and he's trying to show her that he's changed. There are some really sweet moments when his romantic side comes out and they are able to remember the good times. There are also a couple times when jealousy overrules his common sense and sets his cause back a little. His biggest issue is trying to prove that he didn't leave with Melanie, and that is turning out to be harder than expected. I also liked the way that Zach never tried to convince Cassidy that he didn't deserve her anger. He knows he does, and he takes all of her verbal blows without argument.

Cassidy's distrust of Zach was completely understandable. His return has brought back all the memories of everything she went through after he left. It has also brought back the attraction and the feelings she thought had died long ago. She had a real war going on within herself as to whether or not she wanted to take a chance on him again. I liked seeing her begin to see that the boy she loved was still there in the man. The extra maturity also enables her to stand up to her brothers when she makes the decision to give Zach another chance.

Not everything goes smoothly, because there was another reason that Zach had left town so abruptly. Older and wiser now, he realizes that he never believed that Cassidy would have stood by him, and that was one of the reasons he ran. When that past comes roaring back, it puts a strain on their new relationship, and Zach's pride gets in the way of him accepting her support. The person behind part of that past is not happy that Zach is back. As it turns out, he's played a bigger part in Zach's troubles than even Zach knows. The identity of the person isn't really a surprise, but there's a twist to his actions that I hadn't seen coming. The final confrontation was very good, and it was satisfying to see some people having to face up to how wrong they were.

The Valentine Two-Step - RaeAnne Thayne (SIM #1133 - Feb 2002)

Series: Outlaw Hartes (Book 1)

Certainly he had been bewitched by women before, but for rancher -- and single father -- Matt Harte, this was the last straw! Because of his daughter's shenanigans, he'd gotten roped into planning the annual Valentine's Day dance. And his partner in crime? Why, beautiful big-city vet -- and recent Salt River transplant -- Ellie Webster. Who he couldn't take his eyes off. And not for lack of trying...

Ellie knew that Matt Harte didn't want her in his town, let alone on the intimate dance committee of two. But this was for her daughter's sake. It wasn't like she wanted to spend all that one-on-one time with the rugged rancher, imagining what it would be like to be his partner -- for real....

Very good "Parent Trap" type of story. Dylan Webster and Lucy Harte are fourth grade girls who have become best friends since Dylan and her mother moved to town. They are such good friends that they've decided that the next step is to become sisters. But to do that, they're going to have to find a way to get their parents together. So without their knowledge, Ellie and Matt get volunteered to co-chair the annual Valentine's Day school fundraiser.

To say they aren't pleased is an understatement. Matt is really busy as a rancher, and not much of a fan of Valentine's Day since his divorce. And to be paired with the big city vet from California, with the woo-woo vet techniques? No thanks - even if he can't keep his eyes off her. But Lucy has been a different kid since Dylan became her friend, one who smiles and laughs more and isn't so shy. When Lucy reminds him that it's also a way for them to spend time together, he can't tell her no. 

Ellie isn't too thrilled either. Matt's made no secret of the fact that he doesn't think much of her as a vet, even though she's never treated one of his animals. His attitude is mirrored by other ranchers, making it hard for her to get her practice up and running. She hopes that working on this committee will help ease her way into the community. 

I loved seeing Matt and Ellie get tossed together. The two girls are pretty good at creating opportunities, and Matt and Ellie start to soften a bit toward each other. When one of Matt's horses has a problem while Ellie is there, he agrees to let her look at the animal. After normal techniques don't help, he allows Ellie to break out her acupuncture needles and is stunned by the effect. Impressed by her passion for her work, he asks her to become the vet for his horses. Ellie is happy to have Matt's business as her practice hasn't been going so well. It isn't long before some of the other ranchers are following suit. 

Between committee meetings, vet visits and their girls, Matt and Ellie find themselves spending a fair amount of time together. There's an attraction that keeps building between them, but both try to resist. Matt was burned in love by his ex-wife, a city girl who never settled into ranch life. She made his life miserable before running off, and he isn't too keen on opening himself up to another woman, especially one from the city. But there's something about Ellie that has her finding her way into his heart. Ellie works even harder at resisting Matt. She has worked a long time to develop the independence and ability to take care of herself. Long ago she saw her mother fall apart when her husband left her. She watched her mother spiral downward in her attempts to find a man to take care of her and swore she would never let that happen to her. Then, after she ended up in foster care, every time she would start to care for someone she'd lose them. Now she won't depend on anyone but herself.

Things start to get really complicated, as Ellie receives threats from someone who doesn't want her there. Matt wants to protect her, but Ellie is still afraid to lean on anyone. Their attraction is growing, as are the feelings underlying the attraction. As the threats and troubles for Ellie increase, Matt is torn between wanting to protect her and believing some of the things that happen are her fault. He says some really terrible things to her, which reminds her of why she doesn't get involved. When a new threat hits way too close to her personally, Matt tries to be there for her, finally recognizing his feelings for what they are, but it's Ellie's fears that have her pushing him further away. She has to be able to overcome them before she can have a chance at the life she would really like to have. Her fears and what they were doing to her and her relationship with Matt were really emotional to read about. Having her finally see it and want to do something about it was very satisfying.

The mystery of who had it in for Ellie really wasn't too hard to figure out. I was a bit surprised they hadn't suspected earlier. Each thing that happened was pretty creepy, but the last was definitely the worst. As scary as it was for Ellie, I loved seeing how everyone supported her. The resolution of it was especially well done.