Sheri WhiteFeather

Good second chance story between two people who have had a lot to deal with in their lives. Tanner and Candy had been friends and then boyfriend/girlfriend when they were younger. Candy was the girl he had had the longest relationship with until he broke things off with her at a bad time in his life. Candy had been heartbroken, but moved on with her life, eventually having a short-lived marriage with someone else. Now Tanner is back in her life, in desperate need of her help.

Candy needs to show more sell her house, no longer able to afford to keep it. Tanner needs a house and hers looks like it will be just right. He has been a commitment avoiding bachelor for a long time, but his sister needs him to take care of her baby while she spends two years in prison. Tanner is terrified of the idea, remembering what happened to his life when his youngest sister died of SIDS when he was seventeen. Not only had he lost his sister, but his parents' marriage fell apart, causing him to lose faith in the idea of love.

Candy is still a believer in love, in spite of her short-lived marriage. That had come about because she got pregnant by the man she thought she loved and they married because of the baby. When she had a miscarriage, he ended the marriage because he didn't actually love her. She is still grieving the loss of her baby, but has confidence that someday she'll find a man who will love her and give her the life she wants.

When Candy and Tanner meet again, there is definite attraction between them. Tanner would like nothing more than to pursue that attraction, but Candy isn't interested in sex without love and Tanner doesn't allow emotions into his relationships. They settle into a tentative friendship as Tanner asks for Candy's help in getting things set up for his niece. When the nanny Tanner hired is unable to do the job, Tanner begs Candy to take on the job instead. It isn't long before Candy is questioning her determination not to get involved with Tanner. Can she overcome her tendency to get her emotions involved and just enjoy what he is offering?

As the two of them got closer, Candy found that her emotions were involved whether she wanted them to be or not. She couldn't help thinking of them as a family, in spite of her promises to Tanner to the contrary. Tanner also found himself thinking that way, but every time he did he would panic and convince himself that he was imagining things. It wasn't until he nearly lost her that he realized everything they had had was leading to love, he just hadn't recognized it. Then, all he had to do was convince her that what they had was real and would last.

I liked seeing how determined Tanner was to give Ivy the best he could, in spite of his fears. His worries were understandable given his past. I loved the way that Candy pushed and encouraged him until he was more comfortable. I liked that he was also determined that his sister would never forget that Ivy was her daughter, even though she was constantly trying to force he and Candy together. I felt bad for Megan and her unhappiness, and so glad that Candy and Tanner want to help her through it. I hope that she will eventually get her own story. show less

Good book. Victoria and Ryan had been high school sweethearts. When she got pregnant they were too young to keep the baby so she gave her up for adoption. Eighteen years later Kaley has come looking for Victoria and Ryan. Both of them are enjoying getting to know Kaley but it's the sparks between them that worry her. She never recovered from her broken heart and she doesn't want to risk it again. Meanwhile Ryan would like to explore the idea of building a new relationship with her.

Victoria show more was thrilled when she and Kaley reunited. She had always wondered what had happened to her. When Kaley wanted to meet Ryan, Victoria couldn't say no. She had never forgotten how much she had loved Ryan, or the way he had let her down when she needed him the most. Now she and Kaley are back in her hometown and staying at Ryan's home. The attraction is still there but she doesn't trust that Ryan has changed enough for her to trust him with her heart. I understood that Victoria was still hurt over Ryan's actions when they were younger but I felt like she held onto those feelings for far too long. Even though he explained what had happened to Victoria and Kaley she didn't want to admit that he had grown up. Even when she gave in to the attraction between them she tried to deny the love that she still felt for him. I wanted to shake her when Ryan confessed his love and she wouldn't believe him.

Ryan had always felt guilty about not showing up as he had promised to do on the day that Kaley was born. Those feelings stayed with him even after he married another woman. His reluctance to have children with her was a direct result of those feelings and led to their divorce. He was very nervous when Victoria and Kaley arrived. He was happy to have the chance to get to know Kaley and even happier to spend time with Victoria. The strength of his feelings surprised him. I really liked seeing him get to know Kaley and seeing how much they liked each other. I loved the way he was honest with her about his actions and feelings in the past and how much he wanted to be part of her life now. I liked the way that he wanted to renew a relationship with Victoria. I really enjoyed seeing the ways that he tried to get closer to her. I found them to be very sweet. I found it interesting that he hadn't realized that his feelings back then were love and that it took a bout of jealousy to make him realize that he still loved her. show less

We first met Erik in Lost and Found Father as the adoptive dad of the daughter that Ryan and Victoria gave up for adoption. He lost his wife to cancer seven years ago and still mourns her loss. With his daughter off at college he eats many of his meals at the diner where Dana works. She is young and pretty and likes to flirt with him when he's there. When she asks him out he is hesitant since he's so much older than she is, but she teases him into it. He doesn't expect the intense attraction show more that he feels for her, and things get quickly out of control that night. He makes sure she knows that there is no possibility of a relationship and she's okay with that. Neither one expects her to become pregnant from that one night. Now Erik has to face the idea of becoming a father and husband again while trying to protect his heart.

I really liked Dana. She has a great outlook on life, always keeping a cheerful attitude even though her life hasn't been the easiest. She has been interested in Erik for a year, always flirting with him when she waits on him and taking an interest in his life. She knows he's older than she is but it makes no difference to her - she calls him "yummy". She finally works up the courage to ask him out to an art show, figuring that since he's an art teacher it would appeal. I really liked the way that she went after what she wanted and didn't really give him a chance to say no. She made sure he knew what she wanted from him and when that simple kiss spiraled out of control she ran with it. She was upset when she got pregnant because as the daughter and granddaughter of single mothers she hadn't ever intended to go that route herself. When Erik proposes to her in order to do the right thing she knows he doesn't love her and doesn't ever plan to love her but hopes that they can have a good life together. I really loved seeing how her cheerful casual style starts to change Erik's life. She brightens it up, while his steadiness grounds her. I loved the way that she and his daughter became great friends. Dana found that Erik's kindness and care for her quickly changed her feelings from friendship to love, but feared that it would always be one-sided. I really loved the evolution of their romance and how she started to see his actions for what they were rather than just what he said.

Erik had been devastated by his wife's death. He still visits her grave and talks to her on a regular basis. He enjoys his meals at the diner and is amused by Dana and her flirting. There is a certain amount of attraction to her but he considers himself an "old man" compared to her. He is surprised by her invitation to take her to the art show and tries to decline, but she talks him into it. Though he has a good time with her he is disturbed by the attraction he feels for her. When he gives her the promised kiss goodnight at her door that attraction burns out of control and he ends up spending the night. They part ways not expecting to do anything like that again. When she contacts Erik to tell him she is pregnant he is stunned and dismayed. He feels there is no way that he can be a father again. He offers to help her financially but that's all he'll commit to, until his daughter makes him see that that isn't fair to Dana. He goes back and proposes marriage, but lets her know that there is no way he'll ever love her. I loved seeing him fight his feelings. It was obvious he cared but he wasn't going to allow himself to love. He equates love to loss and feels that he can't go through that again. No matter how hard he tries Dana's upbeat personality keeps drawing him closer and closer. I loved the way that they worked together on the garden and also decorating the baby's room. He also got really involved in the pregnancy which was a new experience for him. The ending was so sweet and moving. show less

Very good book. Jenna is ready to settle down and have a family of her own, but she hasn't had much luck finding someone to love. She is very organized and goal oriented, so she has made herself a list of what she's looking for in a husband. She knows it isn't JD - the man she found wandering injured along the highway. But she takes him home and gets him help and gives him a job there at the ranch while he recovers. There is a strong attraction between them, but until he can remember who he show more is all he knows is that he has no interest in a relationship.

I liked both Jenna and JD. Jenna is a country girl at heart, never happier than when she's doing her work as a riding instructor there at the ranch. She's also excited to be starting a B and B with her sister and cousin. The only thing she feels that she is missing is a family of her own. She has very definite ideas of what she wants in a husband. When she comes across JD she can't just leave him wandering, so she takes him to get medical attention. When she discovers that he doesn't know who he is she offers to let him stay at the ranch instead of going to a homeless shelter. She feels an intense attraction to him but he states flat out that he has no interest in relationships or marriage. This is fine with her because he doesn't fit her "profile". While her blind adherence to her list bothered me, I liked the fact that she was willing to step outside her comfort zone and indulge herself a little. Besides her attraction to JD she was also dealing with the new family dynamics. A decision has to be made about whether to look for the missing woman who could be the mother of another cousin/sibling. She also has to decide if she is ready to heal the breach with her father. I liked the way that JD had a good influence on her while she was trying to deal with those two issues. She then also had to cope with the fact that she was falling in love with JD, even though she knew he wouldn't stay once he regained his memory.

JD seemed to be a basically nice guy but with something in his past that his mind wouldn't let him face. He was hesitant to take Jenna up on her offer but couldn't resist the pull he felt to her. I liked the way that he was as honest with her as he could be about what his feelings were. As the days went on and his body healed he could feel that there was a darkness in him that was driving him. But he also felt better when he was with Jenna. I enjoyed the way that they got along and how he tried to keep things honest between them. I could tell that he was happy on the ranch but afraid of what he would find when his memories returned. He was also happy in his non-relationship with Jenna, but also worried about what would happen when he had to leave. When those memories did return his pain was so hard to see. All he wanted to do was go back to running, but he also didn't want to lose Jenna. I loved seeing how her strength and the magic of the feather bed helped him heal. show less