"An amazing cast of characters bring this story to life!"
Reviewed by Sandra Wurman
Posted November 18, 2011
Romance
There comes a time when you take off those rose colored
glasses and reality sets in. You can't change people -- you
have to face it people will disappoint you. Regroup and get
back to your roots and the things that really are important.
Life sometimes lands a good hard kick in the gut, you're
watching your dreams die - you have to know it's time to
move on and don't accept that it's your fault. So when life
knocked her down Sophie McPhee knew it was time to get back
to basics -- cinnamon buns work. Humor is the best medicine and Sophie was wise enough to see
past the pain to the beauty before her -- her family,
friends and the place she loved, Lonesome Way. Funny name
for a place that was anything but lonesome. Take her
grandmother for instance who was part of a trio of feisty
ladies that Sophie thought of as bibbidy, bobbidy and boo.
You get the picture. Well these ladies had a habit of
intruding in the love lives of those around them and Sophie
was no exception. Upon her return to Lonesome Way her gran
immediately presented her with a list of eligible bachelors
that passed the trio's high standards. But Sophie was too
stubborn to even take a glance. She had enough of men and
had learned a difficult lesson when her ex-husband decided
to start a family with someone other than his wife. Coming
home meant revisiting old relationships, some good and some
better forgotten, but Sophie found herself instantly
immersed in the lives of her good friends. That group
included her best friend and the best friend's older brother
Rafe Tanner who had been her teenage crush. Always respectful of Sophie's age and friendship with his
sister, Rafe kept their relationship playful as the girls
seemed to enjoy making sport of his dates. But here was an
adult mature, gorgeous woman reinventing her life and
starting a business right in his back yard, the temptation
was just too much. Sophie was equally smitten with Rafe
taking note of how his meandering past was pretty much
history considering he was now a single father of a teenage
daughter Ivy. Funny how life gets back at you -- here's the
guy who flitted from one girl to another and is now watching
his own daughter like a hawk. The past sometimes doesn't remain in where it belongs and
someone has decided to exact their own revenge for something
Sophie and Rafe had done, through at first it seems to be
random acts of violence. Rafe would like to take their
attraction to the next level but Sophie is filled with
doubts, even though she can feel herself becoming closer to
both Rafe and Ivy. Putting her doubts aside is even scarier
then facing the person intent on harassing her. Sophie will
have to decide when it's time to take a chance on her future
and if it will inclue Rafe and Ivy. Perhaps her childhood
dreams didn't die after all. SAGE CREEK is a witty and heartwarming tale of taking stock
of your life done in true Gregory style with an amazing cast
of characters. Can't wait for the next installment.
SUMMARY
After her marriage falls apart, Sophie McPhee returns to the
Good Luck ranch in her hometown of Lonesome Way, Montana,
planning to steer clear of men and focus on her new bakery,
A Bun in the Oven. But she doesn't expect to see her first
crush, Rafe Tanner, who is now a single father running his
family's ranch. But is Rafe a changed man?
ExcerptRafe Tanner.
He'd come out of nowhere. Protected her from getting
knocked down, perhaps seriously hurt. She still felt
shaken, thinking about what could have happened.
"You all right, Sophie?"
"I'm fine. He never touched me. I..." She couldn't
help the tiny shiver of reaction that swept over her now
that it was over. "Thank you."
It was a miracle she got the words out without
stammering. Rafe Tanner could have that effect on a woman.
He was standing so close to her she could see the black
irises of his midnight blue eyes, the solid outline of his
jaw. In his charcoal T-shirt and jeans, with a sexy bit of
five o'clock shadow across his chin, he was enough to make
a woman swoon.
How was it possible he could look even sexier now than
the last time she'd seen him when she was a fifteen year
old in shorts and a tank top, shocking the hell out of him
by kissing him in his pickup truck?
The intervening years had hardened him. An aura of
toughness clung to his muscular six-foot-three inch frame.
But there was something more than sinewy strength and
magnetism now. A quiet maturity. Confidence. Very
different from the cocky recklessness of the boy she'd
daydreamed about night and day when she was twelve.
The next moment she noticed that his mouth -- oh, God,
that firm, sensual mouth -- was curved upward in a hint of
a smile.
And what was so amusing? As embarrassment swept through
her, she wondered if he was remembering the last time he'd
come to her rescue? That day on Squirrel Road. That stupid
kiss.
She felt heat rush into her cheeks and hoped she wasn't
blushing. Her chin lifted. "I don't usually need rescuing
these days," she said tightly.
Rafe's smile widened. Now it reached his eyes. Damn
it. He remembered. Or if he didn't, she'd just reminded
him.
"I'm just glad I was in the right place at the right
time," Rafe said, his voice easy. "We'd better move out of
the way before we get trampled."
He snagged her arm, and a jolt of electricity quivered
through her skin where his hand touched it. He eased her
back a few steps as a family of tourists barreled past
them.
"Nothing like a little excitement to welcome you back to
town, Sophie," Deck said heartily beside them.
She hadn't even noticed Lissie's cousin before now, but
once he spoke, she immediately recognized him.
"I wouldn't exactly call what just happened a welcome,"
she replied with a rueful smile.
So he gets a smile, I get nothing. Rafe was partly
amused and partly irritated. He heard Deck say something
about going on ahead to hunt up a booth, but he couldn't
seem to tear his gaze or his attention away from Sophie
McPhee long enough to respond.
The annoying little pest had transformed into a
gorgeously sexy woman. Beneath the leather jacket, she was
wearing a silky coral tank top and low-cut jeans. Rafe had
to quell an impulse to stare at her breasts and those
enticingly rounded hips. The top of her head didn't even
reach his chin, but her face was upturned to his and he
felt himself getting lost in smoky natural beauty, the tilt
of a shapely nose, the glimmer of cool green eyes. He'd
have bet a dozen of his best quarter horses that the
strands of her honey-colored hair would feel like a silken
river flowing through his fingers.
Good thing he'd given up his old ways, dedicated himself
these days to being Ivy's father. Because for the life of
him, at the moment, his mind was a blank and he couldn't
come up with a single smooth, funny, seductively charming
thing to say to her.
"Ivy told me about her shopping trip today," he heard
himself saying. Lame. "She said you were a big help."
"Not really. Ivy didn't need any help, she knew exactly
what she wanted."
"She's a Tanner. We usually do."
Sophie felt the pull of that slow, engaging grin. Was
Rafe Tanner flirting with her?
No, that was crazy. It was all in her imagination.
Get a grip. After everything that's happened, the last
thing you need is to think about a man. Any man.
But especially this man.
Not that she was thinking about Rafe. She was so over
him. Still, no sane woman could help feeling a little light-
headed when he was standing this close in all his handsome
cowboy hotness. . .
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