Sibling relationships are never easy, and Willow's are not only difficult but complicated. She shares a mother and father with her brother Steven, plus they have two stepbrothers. Their father, Devlin Gallagher, married a woman with two sons, Zachary and Gideon. Steven had been kidnapped by his mother, and Devlin was unable to locate him. Then an impromptu reunion with his ex-wife, Chastity, led to Willow's conception.
Willow had been smitten with Gideon since the marriage of her father to his mother but, with ten years between them, it wasn't anything more than a teenage crush. When a prank in which Willow supposedly marries Gideon by a fake minister goes wrong and the minister turns out to be real (and the marriage quite legal), Willow returns home badly hurt and humiliated. Quite unexpectedly, Gideon returns just as Willow is to be married. He intervenes just in time to stop it, but his presence only adds to Willow's problems.
Steven has gained a reputation as an outlaw robbing trains, and is a wanted man. Only Willow is in contact with him, and this has put her in jeopardy. A bounty hunter with a rather violent streak has made capturing Steven his quest, and he isn't above using Willow to find him. Gideon also has a stake in finding and stopping Steven since it is his family's railroad that has had its share of run-ins with Steven and his gang. Gideon is sure of Steven and Willow's devotion to each other and, knowing that, realizes that by sticking close to Willow, he will ultimately get Steven. But Willow's attraction to Gideon isn't as one sided as everyone thinks. Fight it as he will, Gideon can't stop his feelings for her and pretty soon they are truly living as man and wife. Their marriage is rocky and paramount to their problems is lack of trust. Following Willow is indeed a daunting task but, in the end, the rewards could be beyond anyone's expectations.
This is a revised, reissued edition of WILLOW. Lucky for me, since I must have missed it the first time around. By the end of the story, the reader is truly invested in the outcome, not only for Willow and Gideon but for their combined family as well. Miller fans will not be disappointed.
No excerpt available.