Have you ever been lead down a path you knew you shouldn't go, but you had to anyway?

As the new veterinarian in town, Katherine (KayCee) Calloway had to put up with many cold eyed assessments to prove her competence that she was just as good, if not better, than the male vets the men on the Montana ranches were used to dealing with. But right now, the pleading look in young Michele's eyes seemed a harder dilemma for her than the difficult birthing of a calf.

Michele's father, rancher Jon Rider, was used to handling things independently, however, he knew he had to call for professional help if he was going to save the life of the heifer and her soon to be born large calf. Already burdened by his wife's death in a car accident a year earlier and raising their seven lively children while running a large spread, he felt guilty about having been distracted when he had bred the heifer, so now she had a larger calf then she could handle. His oversight was haunting him now and he couldn't afford to lose them.

But, that wasn't the only situation on his mind! His housekeeper had quit and a social worker was threatening to take his beloved children away from him. Without any options left, little Michelle has proposed a quick plan to pretend that the vet was going to be their new mom so they wouldn't be taken away. After agreeing to the lie to save the day, Kaycee felt obliged to ensure the kids were really safe and decided to stay a little involved to keep a watch out for them.

Having been burnt by love's flames in the past, KayCee has no interest in becoming beguiled by Jon's handsome looks or the charm and antics of his children. After all, building her professional practice has to come first and there was no way she could fit in with Jon's strong beliefs of what a wife and mother should be like. But, when the interfering of Jon's rich in-laws leaves a young child in deadly jeopardy, what is she to do?

The very talented Elaine Grant has created a totally spellbinding delight of a story with a very realistic and well-researched plot full of very believable characters. The children are a hoot and their escapades are ring true as they organize a rodeo and find other sources of joy while keeping up the pretence needed to help their dad. You won't want to put this book down, except to laugh out loud or hold your heart in panic! A real winner of a bronco read!