"Can a Man of Few Words and a Speech Therapist Find Love in Cowboy Country?"
Reviewed by Monique Daoust
Posted January 7, 2015
Romance Contemporary
Trinity Redfern has definite ideas on how her Mr. Right
should be and she will not settle for anything else. A
speech therapist, Trinity fled the big city for small-
town Montana where she teaches in a special school, as
well as a summer camp where she befriended 5 year-old
Finn, who speaks very little. Finn's parents died about a
year before, and Zane Nash became an instant father to
Finn; Finn is his brother's son. Zane is also the man
whom Trinity locked eyes with several months ago at a
Christmas bonfire, although Zane never made a move. It's
quite the shock for Trinity when one day, Zane shows up
instead of the man who usually picks up Finn. Since his
girlfriend ran off with his brother a few years back,
Zane has had trust issues; he believes that in not
revealing his feelings, his heart is shielded from pain. HER BIG SKY COWBOY is book 3 in the The Wildflower
Ranch series, and I never had the feeling I had
missed anything as characters from previous books act as
a solid background to Zane, Trinity and Finn. Ms.
Callen's light and breezy style paints a vivid picture of
Montana cowboy country: I really got the feeling of a
ranch, I smelled those wildflowers, I petted those
animals. Best of all, the author never succumbs to the
ubiquitous clichés of cowboy romances. The characters are
well-defined, and their background stories slowly explain
the enigma that is Zane. I love Ms. Callen's subtle handling of the pull of
attraction between Zane and Trinity: from a tentative
friendship to the beginning of a romantic relationship,
nothing is rushed. It's not unlike how Trinity approaches
her students and the animals, with care and respect. Zane
is a softie at heart but fights it with every bone in his
body although it pains him, while sunny Trinity ignores
the loneliness she too often feels. Finn is not merely a
pawn in HER BIG SKY COWBOY, but a full-fledged actor, and
his presence is the catalyst that Zane and Trinity need
to acknowledge their feelings for each other. I find it
refreshing that the author conveys the growing passion
between Zane and Trinity without the need for graphic
sex. HER BIG SKY COWBOY shows that an intelligent, adult
romance can have both sweetness and depth.
SUMMARY
Sometimes Mr. Wrong is Mr. Right. Speech therapist, Trinity Redfern, knows her perfect match
is out there somewhere. When she finds him he’ll be
articulate, well-dressed and most of all he will let her
call the shots. Reclusive rancher, Zane Nash, has heeded life’s lessons.
Never trust anyone, especially a woman. But when he becomes
an instant father to five-year-old Finn, he must trust the
sassy speech therapist who takes over his ranch for the
summer. Trinity is Finn’s last hope to learn to speak again. But when the summer ends has time run out not only for Finn
but also for Zane? Can the reserved cowboy find the words to
make strong-willed Trinity stay … forever.
ExcerptChapter One"Come on Trin, give me something to go on." Trinity Redfern smiled. She might be talking via her cell,
and not face-to-face with Ivy, but she could sense her
oldest friend's deep curiosity. The mysterious twelve
long-stemmed red roses delivered to Trinity last week had
become a regular item on their conversation list. "I've got nothing -" She stopped as the door to her right
opened and a small dark-haired boy joined her on the porch
of the summer camp building. "Hang on, Ivy. Finn's here.
Hank's running late to collect him." Trinity hunched her shoulder to hold her cell closer to her
ear while she helped Finn climb onto the bench seat. The
five-year-old snuggled against her and she wrapped an arm
around his thin body. They'd spent the past two days
together at the Marietta Mad Scientist School but it was
only when they were alone that she took off her teacher-hat
and put on her friend one. She again used her hand to hold her cell. "Sorry, Ivy. As I
was saying I've got nothing. Really. The card wasn't signed.
It never is." "Never is?" Trinity held the phone further from her as Ivy
squealed. "Trinity, have you been holding out on me? It
wasn't only last week that you received red roses from a
secret admirer?" Trinity stifled a sigh. She'd walked straight into that one.
She wasn't used to watching what she said to her oldest
friend. They didn't usually keep secrets from each other.
But the name of the person who'd sent her the roses had been
off-limits, even to Ivy. Trinity hadn't wanted her city-past
to taint the new life she'd worked so hard to make in Montana. "No, it wasn't." "You know I'm not giving up until I find out a name. I'll
need it for the wedding guest list." Trinity groaned. "You and your lists will be the death of
me. As I've said before, as your chief bridesmaid I'll be
busy enough without having a partner to entertain." Before
Ivy could reply, Trinity added, "I'll put Finn on. I know
he'd love to tell you what he caught in the pond today." She lowered the phone and passed it to Finn. Last summer
he'd lost his parents in a light plane crash and both
Trinity and Ivy made a point of looking out for him. Finn
pressed the cell against his ear and smiled. "Say hi to Ivy," Trinity said gently when Finn showed no
sign of talking. Finn chewed his bottom lip and then spoke, his voice low and
quiet. "Hi, Ivy." Trinity held her thumb up in a ‘good job' sign. Finn rarely
spoke. "Hi, Finn." Even without having the phone close to her,
Trinity could hear Ivy's cheerful words. "Have you had fun
with Trinity at science camp?" Finn nodded. Trinity mouthed the word ‘yes'. Encouraged, Finn again spoke. "Yes. I ... caught a big bug." He quickly passed Trinity the phone. She dropped a kiss on
his silken dark head. He smelled of sunshine and oranges. "Ivy, Finn sure did catch a big water bug. It was a water
strider." "That's great. I know how he loves his bugs. And that's the
most words I've heard him say. You're good for him." "Thanks." She didn't voice her thought that seeing as she was a speech
therapist when she wasn't knee-deep in pond water, she
should be able to help him. Finn was already self-conscious
enough about people commenting on his lack of speech. She'd watched him closely over the past days and she was
certain he didn't have an expressive or receptive language
delay or any auditory processing concerns. He understood
everything anyone said to him and when he did speak his
words were quiet but clear. She suspected that the loss of
his parents, and the combination of grief and anxiety, meant
he spoke as little as possible. She was confident he'd find
his words again. The only problem was he was due to start
school in the fall. Finn yawned. The fresh air mightn't have put any color in
his pale face but it had tired him out. She tightened her
arm around him as he rested his head on her shoulder. "You'd also be good for his uncle. He's not a great talker
either." Trinity's attention zeroed in on Ivy. "Who?" "His uncle, Zane Nash. He'd be good for you too. I saw the
way you stared at each other at Rhett's Christmas bonfire." "Did we?" Trinity kept her question casual. "It was so long
ago I can't remember. You'd have to remind me what he looked
like." The truth was she didn't need any help to remember Zane
Nash. Or the awareness that had curled through her as their
eyes had locked across the fire pit. In that brief moment it
was as though all the dreams that had caused her to defy her
family and head west to Montana had a chance to come true.
But then the grey-eyed and wide-shouldered cowboy had never
looked at her again. She also suspected he'd gone out of his
way to avoid her for the rest of the night. "Trinity, I know you remember Zane. I also know you know who
sent those roses. Maybe Mr. Red Rose Man isn't your Mr.
Right, but he does exist and is out there somewhere." Trinity laughed to mask her fears. She was an eternal
optimist but with Ivy having found her ‘happily ever after'
with rancher Rhett, Trinity's certainty that she too would
find such happiness decreased with every lonely summer vacation. "Let's hope Mr. Right does exist. But I'm starting to think
he rides a unicorn and is a mythical creature himself." Ivy joined in with her laughter. "What happened to Mr. Right
being articulate, well dressed and letting you be the boss?" "Oh, he's still all of those things but whatever far-off
kingdom he's hiding in with his unicorn, it isn't Marietta." "Are you sure? He could be hiding in plain sigh." Trinity shook her head not so much in reply to Ivy's teasing
but to clear her mind of an intense grey gaze. "I've lived
in Paradise Valley long enough to know he's not here." A familiar white pickup drove into the summer campgrounds, a
trail of bone-dry dust in its wake. Hank, Hollyhock Creek's
ranch foreman, had arrived to collect Finn. He must have
sorted his sick calf. "Finn's ride is here." Trinity glanced at the child next to
her. His small red-shirted chest rose and fell in the
timeless rhythm of sleep. "So I'll say good-bye." "Okay. See you soon. We're looking forward to you staying
next week. Rhett especially. He says if he has to give his
opinion on another color sample he's spending the rest of
the summer in the line cabin away from his sisters. He has
no idea what the difference is between Persian and Royal blue." Trinity laughed softly. "Poor Rhett. If he had to decide
between cows I'm sure he'd have no trouble. Tell him I'll
help choose the color for the bridesmaid dresses. See you
Monday." Trinity ended the call. Her arm lowered but instead of
returning her cell to her pocket, she stared out at the
pathway, her phone forgotten in her hand. The tall and lithe cowboy who strode toward her didn't
resemble the bowlegged and wizened ranch foreman who'd
previously collected Finn. And unlike Hank, no white smile
flashed across his face as he drew near. Instead the tanned
planes of the man's handsome face remained settled in remote
lines. Heart hammering, she made no move to wake the warm child
sleeping against her or to stand. The cowboy halted on the bottom porch step. Beneath his
battered Stetson too-long dark hair curled over the collar
of a shirt that was once blue but was now a sun-bleached
grey. The left knee of his fitted jeans was ripped and thick
dust coated his right side as though he'd lain on the ground
or barn floor. Slate-grey eyes met hers. Her chin tilted. She hadn't forgotten a thing from the night
of the bonfire. There was no doubt the scruffy and unsmiling
man before her was no regular Hollyhock Creek ranch hand. He
was Zane Nash. Finn's uncle. Mr. oh so Wrong.
* * *
Zane Nash anchored his dusty boots onto the wooden step
beneath him. He could face a badass stallion without
breaking into a sweat but when it came to the woman hugging
a sleeping Finn, his iron control went into a free fall. Miss Trinity Redfern was trouble. Beautiful trouble. He'd heard her carefree laugher at the Christmas bonfire
first. And when he'd glanced across the fire pit at the
woman whose marshmallow was in flames his self-control had
incinerated. The woman's coffee-brown hair had been pretty
the way it had fallen from beneath her Santa hat but it was
the full curve of her smiling mouth that he couldn't tear
his gaze away from. Then he'd looked into her eyes and he'd forgotten where he
was let alone who he was. In her clear green gaze he'd seen
the warmth, passion and spirit of a woman who'd face life
head on. A woman who'd stand by her man no matter what hand
life dealt them. A woman to believe in and to trust. And just like now, alarms had detonated in his head. Life
had kicked him in the teeth enough times for him to never
trust a woman again. So he'd spent the night staying out of
Trinity's way even if he couldn't stop his gaze from seeking
her out. It'd then become a bad habit the past five months
whenever he was in Marietta to scan the streets for a
glimpse of her. Now here she was. Her large eyes were still a vivid green
and while her lips weren't curved in a smile, their soft
contours caused his chest to tighten with need. But it was
the loving, and almost possessive, way she held Finn that
winded him like a saddle bronco's kick. Finn deserved to have a woman hug him every day. As much as
Zane could give him the love of a father, a secure home and
future, he could never replace the mother Finn had lost.
He'd do anything to repair Finn's fractured world, but
thanks to Marlisa, Zane was no longer the marrying kind. The arch of Trinity's fine dark brow informed him that not
only was he staring, but that his tension must have shown in
the severity of his expression. Hank was always telling him
to lighten up and smile. Zane swept his hat off his head and nodded. Hank was also
telling him to talk more but why waste words when he had
nothing to say? He'd grown up on a ranch full of men where
actions counted more than pretty words and where silence
could often be the best answer. A man was judged on what he
did, not what he said. Instead of acknowledging his greeting, Trinity's eyebrow
remained raised as if in a silent challenge. He hadn't
mistaken the strength he'd glimpsed at the bonfire. The
woman before him wasn't content with a gallant sweep of a
Stetson, she wanted words and would wait until she got them. Now wasn't the time for a battle of wills. Trinity had
stayed with Finn while he'd waited to be collected. She'd
also been why Finn had appeared so happy and content the
past days. Zane owed her his thanks as well as an apology. He cleared his throat and turned his hat in his hands. "Hi,
I'm Zane Nash. Sorry, I'm late." Her eyes softened but when she spoke, her words were as cool
as the trough water he'd earlier splashed over his face
after his work-in-progress stallion threw him. "Hi. I'm
Trinity and that's no problem. Hank called so I knew Finn
hadn't been forgotten." He nodded. It was his turn to now add something to the
conversation but he couldn't think of anything to say. He
was certain the self-assured woman waiting for him to talk
wouldn't want to know about the latest cattle prices. To his relief, Finn's eyelids fluttered and opened. When he
saw Zane, he smiled. Zane's heart clenched. He'd never met
Finn before he'd become an instant father less than a year
ago but he loved him with a depth and a certainty he'd never
thought himself capable of. Zane's hat crumpled in his tense
hands. But alongside such love, bitterness co-existed. For
almost five years his brother and Marlisa had cut him out of
Finn's life. Instead of leaving Trinity's side and coming to Zane for his
usual hug, Finn gazed at the woman beside him, his blue eyes
adoring. Trinity lifted her arm from around Finn. "Did we turn off
the hose when we watered the vegetable garden beds? Maybe
you could go and check while I have a quick word with Zane?" Finn stretched and nodded. He left the bench, walked down
the steps to hug Zane's leg. Zane ruffled his dark hair
before he scooted off around the back of the summer camp
building. "He's a great kid," Trinity said, and in her wistful
expression he caught a glimmer of the same yearning he'd
witnessed on Finn's face. "He is." She stood and fixed him with a now serious stare that let
him know their conversation wouldn't be about the weather. As she moved toward him, it wasn't his reluctance to talk
that held him still and silent. At the bonfire Trinity had
been glossy and city-polished. Despite an oversize Santa
hat, she'd managed to look stylish in her snug white jeans
and fitted red jacket. After keeping up with energetic
five-year-olds she now looked more tired than tailored. But
even with a casual ponytail and wearing hiking boots, denim
cut-offs and a simple green T-shirt she was still the
prettiest woman he'd ever seen. He stepped off the bottom step and onto the pathway to allow
her room to pass. On the step that put their eye lines at
the same level, their gazes met and held. Just like at the
bonfire it was as though the real world fell away. All he
could focus on was the woman before him and how something
within her spoke to something within him. She hesitated on the second step, her eyes widening as if
she too felt the connection. But as quickly as the
impression appeared it was gone. Her lips pressed together
as she descended the last two steps. Head high, she stood in
front of him. He breathed in a faint floral scent that
stirred buried memories of a time when Hollyhock Creek Ranch
hadn't been all men. "Before Finn gets back," Trinity said, her words
teacher-firm. "Can I talk to you about his speech?" Zane nodded, showing no surprise. Not that he'd been
snooping, but he'd asked Rhett about Trinity and discovered
she was single and ran Chatterbox Speech Therapy in downtown
Marietta. "Finn said he goes to Bozeman and sees ‘people.' I wanted to
check that one of those people is a speech therapist?" Zane nodded again. Then before Trinity's brow could arch at
his lack of words, he spoke. "Yes, he does. He sees a
psychologist as well as a speech therapist." "Wonderful." Relief relaxed her mouth and reminded him of
the warmth that underpinned her strength. "Finn's been
through so much and needs all the professional support he
can get. Has the speech therapist given him any home
programs to complete?" "At first Shelly did, but not anymore. She ran tests to find
out why Finn doesn't speak much and she now suspects Finn
was a shy and anxious child before he lost his parents.
Shelly also doesn't think he had many opportunities for
social interaction with kids his own age as Russ and Marlisa
moved so much." He paused to allow the anger to drain from
his voice. Trinity didn't need to know his disgust that
Finn's early life had been both unpredictable and nomadic.
"Even though Shelly says he'll be fine, I'd be lying if I
said I wasn't worried about how he's going to do at school." The angle of Trinity's chin lowered. "And I'd be lying if I
said I didn't share your concerns. But there's still the
rest of the summer to work on encouraging his words and
coming to camp has been good for him. He's made a new
friend, Andy, who will be in his class at school so that's a
start." Trinity opened her mouth as if to add something but
then Finn raced from around the building corner. Cheeks
flushed from the late afternoon summer warmth, he slid to a
stop beside Trinity and took her hand. "How did you go checking on the hose?" she asked with a
smile that would weaken the knees of a grown man let alone a
motherless boy. "Good." Zane barely heard Finn's quiet reply. Regret dug itself into
his shoulders. Since when did he ramble on like he'd had too
many beers in Grey's Saloon? As for him admitting he was
worried about Finn starting school ... where had that come
from? He never talked, especially about his emotions. Maybe
he'd hit his head when he'd fallen from Diablo? He took his hands from his jeans pockets and folded his
arms. His gut was right. Trinity was trouble. She could pry
words from a stone. For a dangerous second her genuine
concern for Finn had lulled him into confiding in her and
trusting her with his fears. He frowned and looked at his
pickup truck. He had to get back to the sanctuary of his
ranch. At least there, his self-control would hold. After
his mother had walked out and the woman he loved ran off
with his brother, he didn't need another lesson about
misplaced trust. He glanced at Finn and realized two pairs of eyes watched
him. Trinity's narrow with speculation and Finn's shiny with
eagerness. His frown deepened. What had he missed? "So we'll see you tomorrow for our closing campfire?"
Trinity asked. He nodded slowly. He'd rather go another round with his
uncooperative stallion than spend an afternoon in Trinity's
company. The instincts that kept him safe on the range all
hollered at him to stay as far away as possible from the
stunning speech therapist. His jaw clenched. But for Finn,
he'd do anything.
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