LOOKING FOR A FOREVER HOME
Available: Justin McMillian, real estate developer
Age: 32 (or 224 in dog years)
Justin McMillian has brown hair and blue eyes and he
loves women. He's had just one previous owner, but we believe he can be
trained. Currently, he is intent on tearing down the Broughton Inn, and he
needs the right woman to refocus his energies. If you take Justin on, you will
be richly rewarded with passionate kisses…even if he thinks he's not yet ready
for forever.
Stubborn artist Bailey Cole is interested in taking home
this handsome stray…but Justin plans to destroy the historic inn she adores. He
could ruin her life's work in one fell swoop! We are optimistic that one
special person can counteract Justin's temperamental issues -- but could that
be Bailey?
Very good book. Bailey has spent her whole life in Haley's Cove and the Broughton Inn has been a big part of it. She's awakened one morning by a phone call telling her that there is a construction crew at the Inn, getting ready to demolish it. When she arrives at the Inn, she discovers that Justin's family has bought the property and is planning to put in a modern resort. Because of its historical significance, Bailey is able to put a temporary halt to the plans. That's when a new wrinkle appears in the process. The previous owner has sold it to two different people - Justin and Bailey's brother, who has purchased it in her name.
Justin is part of a real estate/hotel company that is run by his family. His parents are ready to retire, but won't turn the company over to Justin and his two sisters until they feel it is deserved. The Broughton Inn deal is his to complete. He is not at all happy about the delay, and is willing to do whatever he needs to in order to make it happen. He doesn't expect to be attracted to the opposition. Justin has to stay in Haley's Bay to sort out the issues, and that involves spending time with Bailey.
I loved seeing the effect that Bailey and Haley's Bay have on Justin. He sees Bailey's large family and how supportive they are of each other. With the Coles, family comes first. He contrasts them with his own family, where business is the be-all and end-all of their lives. They spend little time together and when they do, it's mostly all business. He also sees the small town and how everyone looks out for each other. Justin finds himself wanting to spend time with Bailey and get to know who she is outside of being the other owner of the Inn. They also get involved together in finding a stray dog that has been wandering around town. Once they do, caring for it brings them closer together.
I loved watching the free spirited Bailey work her magic on the uptight Justin. She was determined to make him see that the Inn was more than just a property. Even though most of her family members (the guys, at least), told her to stay away from him, there was something about Justin that she couldn't resist. While the guys were warning her off, the females in the family were all in matchmaking mode, do all they could to throw Bailey and Justin together. The search for the dog was sweet, and I really liked seeing how Bailey got Justin thinking about keeping the dog.
The attraction between Bailey and Justin was pretty strong. It kept drawing them together when they knew they should stay away from each other. I loved seeing how quickly Justin got to know Bailey and what was important to her. His feelings for her grew, though he tried to deny that he was falling in love with her. Bailey also got to know Justin well and could see how important the Inn acquisition was to him. When she came up with a compromise that would work for them both, each thought that it was the perfect solution. But when his family gets involved, things go downhill fast, Justin has to decide whether proving himself to his family is more important than his love for Bailey.
I have to say that I love how it all turned out. Justin's conversations with his family were a real eye opener for him and I got a kick out of what he did. I also thoroughly enjoyed his attempts to see Bailey again. The help that he got to pull it off was fun to see, and really brought home to him the differences in their families. I also loved the part that the dog and its rescue played it the story. He was one more thing that showed Justin what had been missing in his life and I loved seeing how quickly the dog found a place in Justin's heart and life.
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