This tale in the The Bravos of Justice Creek series follows two people who had a fling on vacation several months ago. Dalton Ames, in Denver, couldn't stop thinking about the lady he'd been with, and found that she was engaged and expecting a baby. True enough, when she asks for a friendly meeting, Clara Bravo says she is NOT QUITE MARRIED - but the baby is his.

Fortunately for Clara she has a supportive and prosperous background so she assures Dalton that she doesn't need any help, but will make any arrangements he asks for if he wants to be involved with the child. Her friend had offered to marry her so the baby would not be fatherless, but she decided not to go through with the wedding. Clara's bravery and independence shock Dalton, who prefers a traditional family. He doesn't know how to react. He was recently divorced and just on the rebound when they met, with no intention of anything as permanent as a baby.

Clara cries on her friend's shoulder, but Princess Rory Calabretti assures her she's going to be fine without a man in her life. She runs a bustling cafe in her Montana town, and if it's not what she dreamed of, she can still be a great mother. Soon however, Dalton turns up with a diamond ring, insisting Clara marry him and move to Denver. Is this for appearances' sake? In case his reputation suffers? And who is he to order her about like an employee? Clara thinks she was a fool to fall for him in the first place.

Of course the determined young lady is overdoing matters and ends up getting checked out in hospital after fainting in the cafe. Dalton ignores his banking business to be with her. Does this mean he cares, or is he a control freak? Clara just doesn't know.

Interestingly almost everyone seems to think that Dalton should 'be a man and marry her' in quite a traditional view, despite modern attitudes. Sometimes I found myself agreeing and other times I thought that shotgun weddings aren't a great idea and there must be a reason why Dalton's first marriage failed. Clara is coming from the experience of parents who stayed together without love, and she doesn't want to end up in that situation. A couple where money was more of a concern might have less luxury of choice, but I can see her point and admire her strength. There's plenty of discussion matter in this story as the pregnancy and getting to know each other takes up a lot of the book, but it is an adult romance. NOT QUITE MARRIED by Christine Rimmer is not my favourite of her works, but it's a classic character study and part of her longrunning series about the Bravo ranching and Calabretti royal families. Mothers to be and hopeless romantics will get more out of it than I did and you can find out whether the characters end the tale as they began it, NOT QUITE MARRIED.