It sure is tough to get past personal history and move on to close one door and open another.

Merri Duncan and Chase Armstrong have a very interesting history. Years ago after dealing with the aftermath of a terrible accident that killed her sister and his brother Chase headed back to his assignment in a field hospital in the Middle East. That left Merri as custodian of eight week old orphaned twins.

Fast forward four and a half years and Chase is now coming home -- his military service at an end. His homecoming is definitely going to change the lives of a lot of people especially Merri and his. It seems Merri has uncovered some unexpected facts concerning the twins. Life on Broken Arrow ranch is never going to be the same again.

Chase has been reluctant to return to Laramie knowing that Merri will expect him to be an involved uncle to the twins. But more difficult will be pretending to be just friends with Merri. Chase was always fighting the attraction he felt towards Merri -- basically from the first time they met. She wasn't available then and he had no reason to believe she would be interested in any deeper relationship with him.

But now circumstances have taken a very odd twist as certain information comes to light about the biological parentage of the twins. Merri and Chase are going to have to take some quick steps to avoid any legal issues and to avoid losing custody of the twins.

Merri has dreams of finding the right man who will love her and want a family. Of course that man will also have to accept Merri is a package deal with the twins. A traditional family is what the courts will be looking for and Merri and Chase decide they can legally marry even if that doesn't include a conventional married life. They would have to present a loving devoted front in public but in the privacy of the ranch they can essentially live as single people.

Surely they can pull that off for a year or so. Plan (1) get married; (2) live platonically for time needed for the kids to accept Chase as their father and then (3) -- and here's where it gets tricky -- if they are okay with the arrangement stay married, if not then divorce.

Funny how Chase and Merri really have the same dream of a solid loving marriage and family. What they can't see is how they could be the couple of their dreams. Life isn't perfect, perhaps they should settle for good enough.

THE TEXAS RANCHER'S MARRIAGE is a tale of two really good hearted people caught up in a dilemma neither one caused but that's life. Thacker's tale jumps off the page with lively banter between her characters. THE TEXAS RANCHER'S MARRIAGE is a good heartwarming fast read sure to attract and win new fans for Ms. Thacker with its memorable cast.