Selena Jacobs and Knox McCoy had been best friends in college; Selena was secretly in love with him, but they were hell bent on graduating and remaining friends only. Selena unexpectedly married Will Sanders, then Knox met Cassandra, whom he married. Knox and Cassandra's life was a happy one until disaster struck, and Knox's heart was broken. Selena and Knox had remained friends throughout the good and the bad, but an unforeseen event has them looking back, wondering how different their lives could have been.

THE RANCHER'S BABY differs from your usual friends-to-lovers romance in some very interesting ways: first of all, Knox did not bury his recent grief in wine, women, and song; and he had loved his wife, which for me are almost good enough reasons to read a contemporary romance. Selena's reasons for not declaring herself to Knox in college were valid; it's obvious she would have been emotionally unable to deal with a relationship. She even admitted herself that she came off as slightly pathetic, but it was easy to understand where her outlook stemmed from when her past was revealed. Knox wallowed in his grief and pain; he couldn't find it in his heart to enjoy life, and it was exceedingly painful to watch. Ms. Yates did an admirable job at conveying his sorrow; I felt his sadness to my very marrow.

Both Knox and Selena, at different moments of their lives, chose to merely exist and forgot how to be happy; and the author's insightful observations on this topic made THE RANCHER'S BABY a very compelling read from an emotional point of view. Ms. Yates' unadorned and very down-to-earth writing style offset the heaviness of the topics, and made THE RANCHER'S BABY a surprisingly quick read. I found the dialogues particularly brilliant: Selena had some rather colorful retorts, and the seemingly innocuous and fun reminiscences on Star Trek were an interesting turning point in the romance.

The second half of the book is much stronger than the first, in my opinion: I thought the circumstances under which Selena and Knox reconnect were a trifle puzzling, and might have been handled otherwise. There was a mystery surrounding Will that was swiftly brushed aside, by the characters as well as by the author, never to be discussed again. It was unnecessary, but thankfully easily forgotten and didn't affect the story, except for the forced proximity situation. Since it's mentioned in the blurb, it's no surprise that Selena becomes pregnant, and I'm afraid I thought she acted irresponsibly and very carelessly. On the other hand, the characters have exceptional depth, even secondary ones such as Cassandra and Scarlett, who were utterly delightful. Friends-to-lovers tropes are a dime a dozen, but Maisey Yates demonstrates with THE RANCHER'S BABY that realistic issues always make a story stronger when it comes to drama.