Reuniting With the Rancher - Rachel Lee (HSE #2314 - Feb 2014)

Series: Conard County: The Next Generation (Book 18)

"I love you."

Ten years ago rancher Cliff Martin said those three little words to Holly Heflin. But all she said was "goodbye." She ran from Conard County fast as a jackrabbit, leaving Cliff with a broken heart. But Cliff never forgot the one that got away….

Now Holly has returned to settle her aunt's estate -- and Cliff is the executor. Her matchmaking aunt and his jealous ex-wife are the least of Holly's problems. Everywhere there are memories…and Cliff. But he's still a small-town rancher with roots and she's a big-city girl with a ticket home. She's got two weeks to avoid the hunky cowboy….

But what if she can't?

Ten years ago Holly and Cliff had a hot and heavy summer romance. But Holly had made no secret of the fact that she had plans for her future that didn't include staying in Conard County, and in spite of Cliff's confession of love she left. Ten years later Cliff is still angry, but he has to deal with Holly as she has returned to deal with her aunt's property.

Holly made her dream come true. She is a social worker in some of the poorest areas of Chicago, where she feels she can make a difference to children in need. Returning to Conard County, though, makes her realize just how much stress she has been under. In the peace and quiet of her aunt's ranch she can feel the tension that she's been under start to unwind - only to be replaced by a different kind of tension. Being near Cliff again brings the old attraction back, but she's still due to leave in just a couple weeks.

I really liked seeing Cliff and Holly have to face their pasts and deal with those memories. Cliff had been harboring a lot of anger and hurt for a long time, blaming Holly for breaking his heart. When he saw her again he tried to hold on to that anger, but he found that the attraction was still there. Then he began to notice the changes in her, and found himself worried. The girl who had been so passionate about her plans and him seemed to have become a pale imitation, and he discovered a need to help her. I liked the way that he talked to her and admitted that he finally realized that some of the problem had been his refusal to accept that she wasn't going to change her plans back then. I liked seeing him start to get to know the new Holly and listen when she talked about her work. I also loved the way he tried to help her cope with her feelings about going back to work and the idea he came up with that might solve her problem.

Holly was shocked by the conditions of her aunt's will and wasn't sure how she was going to handle having to deal with Cliff. She's still attracted to him, but her plans haven't changed so there's no sense in her giving in to it. Ten years after their romance ended, she's still ashamed of how she had treated him. When she works up the courage to apologize, she's surprised when he forgives her and admits that it was probably the only way that she could have handled it. Having made their peace it opens the door for them to spend some time together and get to know each other all over again. Holly is fighting a serious case of burnout and discovers that life in Conard County now is far more appealing to her than it had been before. When Cliff comes up with an idea of how she can do the work she loves without the stress she hates, Holly starts to rediscover her passion both for her work and for Cliff.

That isn't to say there aren't still problems they have to face. Cliff is confronted with the return of his manipulative ex-wife. She had made his life miserable when they were married and now she wants to move back in with him while she's between jobs. When he is less than welcoming she convinces Holly to let her stay at her house, before Cliff is able to fill Holly in on what Lisa is like. Cliff was really afraid that she was going to cause major problems, and was surprised when Holly laughed at his worries. Holly's ability to deal with Lisa's "small potatoes" attempts was fun to watch, because Holly was used to much worse in the city. Things go very well for them until some of Holly's insecurities come out and things nearly fall apart. In spite of some harsh words, ten additional years of maturity go a long way toward helping them work things out. I loved the way the story ended.

Deadly Hunter - Rachel Lee (HRS #1792 - Mar 2014)

Series: Conard County: The Next Generation (Book 19)

With a scar on his cheek and wounds on his soul, the only thing Allison McMann's new neighbor reveals is his name. But when a toxin kills some cattle and Allison is charged with finding its source, Jerrod Marquette appoints himself her protector. The ex-military man has the skills to keep her safe, yet Allison doesn't need--or want--his help. His midnight eyes see too much, his powerful body ignites feelings long buried. Even when she learns of the danger lurking in the mountains she tracks, Allison can't help feeling the greatest danger lies within her...in her white-hot lust for the mysterious outsider.

Another winning visit to Conard County.  At the end of Killer's Prey some cows were found that had been killed by a deadly toxin. The challenge now is to find out if it was an isolated incident or if there is more of it out there, and also to see how much contamination there is.  Allison is a local chemistry professor with some hazmat training.  She has been asked by the state to collect soil and water samples for testing and to see if she finds any more dead animals.  Her new neighbor, Jerrod, is concerned for her safety and appoints  himself her protector.  As a former special forces soldier, he has the skills to keep her safe and his instincts tell him that there is something going on out there in the woods.  Allison isn't so sure she's in danger out there, but she can feel a whole different threat to her peace - her attraction to Jerrod.

Both the romance and the suspense were great.  Allison's first encounter with Jerrod wasn't the most pleasant.  She said hello to him when he arrived next door and he pretty much ignored her until she slipped on the ice.  He came to check on her, helped her up, then walked away.  Jerrod is ex-special forces, medically retired, and is having a rough time adapting to civilian life.  Most of his adult life is classified so it's hard for him to talk to people because he can't tell them much about himself.  He feels bad about the way he treated Allison, so he goes over to apologize.  When he finds out that she's headed to the woods alone, he offers to go along to help.  It's while they are out there that he feels someone watching them and gets concerned for Allison's safety, a concern that seems warranted when her car is vandalized.  He worries that the person who poisoned the cows could hurt Allison to keep from being discovered.

Jerrod difficulties adjusting to civilian life have brought him to Conard County, a place he had heard about from a fellow soldier.  The wide open spaces and peace sound like just what he needs to try to get a handle on what he wants to do with his future.  He struggles with trying to talk to Allison because he is so unaccustomed to talking about himself, but there's something about her that makes him want to try.  He is also very sensitive to Allison's moods.  I loved the way he talked to her about her former boyfriend's shortcomings and the way he showed her how wonderful she really is.

There are so many differences between Allison and Jerrod that at first it's hard to see how they'll ever get together.  I loved seeing them get to know each other.  Allison feels like she should be more cautious around him, but her instincts tell her that she can trust him.  Her attraction to him is getting stronger but she has some real confidence issues when it comes to intimacy thanks to her former boyfriend.  I loved seeing the way that Jerrod handles her fears.  I also enjoyed the realism of the way that they occasionally said something that doesn't go over well, not because they're trying to hurt the other person but because their worlds are so different.

As the mystery intensified I really liked seeing characters from previous books, such as Jake and Gage, and how they all worked together to answer the questions.  There was a very interesting twist to the identity of the person behind the attacks.  I had begun to suspect the truth, though I ended up being slightly off on my conclusion.  It definitely increased the tension as the story built to the climax.  There was also tension between Jerrod and Allison as their two worlds collided.  Allison made a couple decisions that could have ended badly but worked out well in the end.

Defending the Eyewitness - Rachel Lee (HRS #1795 - Apr 2014)

Series: Conard County: The Next Generation (Book 20)

The note wasn't a threat, exactly. But for Corey Donahue, who'd witnessed her mother's murder as a child, it felt very menacing. Surprisingly, the one person she trusted to show the note to was a man merely renting a room from her--Austin Mendez. Traumatized since childhood, Corey had never trusted men...until Austin moved in.

Six years undercover had caused Austin to shut everyone out...until Corey. The vulnerability she hid from others made him yearn to break down the walls she'd erected around her heart. And with a killer closing in, two lost souls were discovering the trust they'd lost--and much more--in each other's arms.

Very good book, a little different from some previous CC books where there is more action.  Corey has lived in Conard County most of her life.  Her mother was murdered when Corey was seven and she witnessed it, though she has no memory of it.  It has left her with a fear of men, so she avoids them.  She rents out room in her home to other women, and most of her friends are women.  She doesn't date.  When the sheriff asks her to rent those rooms to Austin, she has to think hard about it, but she does.  She's wary around him, but she's getting tired of always being afraid.  Right before Austin arrived, Corey received a strange note in the mail.  It wasn't really threatening, but it was creepy.  When she received another one, she showed it to Austin.

Austin has come to Conard County to recover from six years of undercover work in Mexico.  He's spent so long weighing every word and action that it's going to take him some time to start to feel normal again.  His previous need to read people has enabled him to see Corey's vulnerability, and the way she hides so much of herself from other people.  She's the first person he's wanted to get close to since he got back.  

I loved the growth of the relationship between Corey and Austin.  Both are so wary that it's hard for them  to even talk to each other at first.  Corey's innate kindness makes the first overtures as she apologizes for her apparent rudeness at the beginning.  She struggles at bit, and Austin can see it, so he too makes an effort.  I really enjoyed the way that food and cooking were their initial commonalities.  It was fun to see Austin introduce Corey to Mexican food, and see her amazement at his comfort in talking about it.  Their comfort there made it easier for Corey to confide in him about the notes.  She realized that by getting to know him she had lost her fear of him as a man and begun to trust him. I loved seeing Austin's protectiveness come out when he realized that she might be in danger.  I also enjoyed the fact that he was a very straightforward kind of guy. He was pretty blunt with her about the way she had been hiding out emotionally.  For someone she had just met, it was kind of pushy,  but he had been trying to make a point that he needed her to trust him.

Once that box was opened and Corey began to share what she felt, things started to heat up between them.  Austin had been attracted to her from the beginning, but cautious because of her inexperience. I loved seeing Corey open herself up to the attraction she felt for Austin.  For someone who had been so afraid of men, it said a lot about Austin that she was so hot for him so quickly.  The passion developed into love pretty quickly, but neither wanted to admit it.  Corey knew Austin would have to return to work soon and didn't want to come across as clingy.  Austin was afraid to make any admissions when he still didn't feel like he had his life together.  Corey ended up having a crisis of confidence when Austin was called away, but the ending was really satisfying.

The threat against Corey was real, and it was interesting to see how they made the connection to her mother's murder.  The segments from the perp's point of view showed his motivation.  I loved seeing Corey and Austin talk out their theories and come to some pretty accurate conclusions.  It was interesting to see how Austin realized the danger she was in and helped boost her confidence in herself and her abilities to defend herself, even as he planned to be around to protect her. The showdown was good, but I would have liked to know more about who he was and what was behind his motivations.