Jesse McAllister of the Sundance ranch is facing his
family's slide into the red and considers re-enlisting as a
pilot, to earn better money and to escape his empty
personal life. But on a snowy Christmas night he finds
there might a be a reason to change his mind.
Shea Monroe is a computer software engineer working from
San Jose. She decides to avoid family strife by not going
home for Christmas and instead volunteers to help at a
large animal shelter in Montana. The Sundance is partly a
dude ranch run by Jesse's sister Rachel, and while they do
not board dudes over Christmas they are glad to give a room
to a volunteer. Shea is nervous around people and is almost
overwhelmed when she is introduced to the boisterous ranch
family over dinner. Next day Jesse takes her out on a trail
ride in the snow-covered mountains and they manage to find
common ground.
Shea assists with caring for the animals on the shelter's
land - goats, bison and two hundred horses included. The
amount of feed and hay required is staggering. The girl
falls in love with a roan colt and when the colt escapes
his stable and vanishes into the snow, she unwisely sets
out after him. Jesse, making a flight in a Cessna, spots
Shea just as a blizzard is about to descend and lands,
taking the girl to shelter in a nearby cabin. Snowed in,
the pair get to know each other and while Jesse promises to
behave like a gentleman, the intimacy of their surroundings
encourages confidence and Shea feels as much desire for the
rancher as he does for her.
Debbi Rawlins previously wrote Own The Night about
Blackfoot Falls and relishes throwing city girls into
ranching country settings, way out of their depth. Luckily
for them, her heroes are the kind to see past the cheap
thrills offered by many tourist girls but can recognise a
diamond when they see one.
In the case of Shea and Jesse, the characters are well
written and endearing, roundly developed, with a common
cause in the assistance of abandoned large animals. The
setting is also well described. The more I read Debbi
Rawlins, the more I like her.
This cowboy will keep her very warm…
After serving in the air force, cowboy Jesse McAllister has
returned to the Montana countryside where he grew up. But
the Sundance Dude Ranch just doesn't feel like home anymore.
That is, until Shea Monroe arrives for the holidays …and
sends him for a tailspin.
Desperate to escape her family—and the human race—the ranch
is sweet relief for a loner like Shea. But hot cowboys… What
was she thinking? Worse yet, she's having delicious thoughts
about one who seems just as alone as she is!
All it takes is one night—and one very blustery blizzard—for
their attraction to ignite big-time.
One night where the only thing to do is give in….
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