Sam Monroe arrives back at the ranch after weeks dealing with life on the trail. All he wants is a hot bath, a hot meal, and his own bed. What THE COWBOY NEXT DOOR gets is a big surprise. Down on her luck Penny Cash has taken the job as housekeeper for the ranch but only plans to stay until she gets a full- time teaching job.

The last thing she wants is to become involved with Sam. Sure, he's sexy, funny and fun, but the carefree cowboy is not what she has in mind for her future. Maybe she loves cooking for the grateful family and learns to appreciate the different personalities, but her dream is to teach and nothing is going to stop that dream from coming true. Not an unexpected danger and certainly not a hard to resist cowboy.

If you are looking for a number of twists, a sweet surprising (to the couple at least) romance then THE COWBOY NEXT DOOR will fit that bill. I found Penny just a bit snippy at first but as I read on and got more of her story, I began to admire the woman's grit. Having put most of her life on hold to help keep her brothers together and care for an elderly aunt, Penny thought her dream of teaching was finally coming true only to find herself stranded when the offer was rescinded. She becomes the housekeeper for an unusual household - four older men with the three adopted sons (there is another son and his wife that pop in to enjoy the meals) - all family.

The danger comes in the form of a problem from one of her brothers and this is when she finds out that Sam Monroe is not just a good-time cowboy. He is solid, responsible and loves his family and very quickly he adds Penny to that group. I thought it was really cute that because of her unusual name his nickname for her was "Money." When the trouble is over ... Money has to make a decision: her old dream or the new one that has her heart soaring.

I have a weakness for family by choice and THE COWBOY NEXT DOOR is filled with this type of family. All the different personalities come out, the advice (whether wanted or not), the encouragement, the love and the sense of belonging is all here for the readers to enjoy. I recommend THE COWBOY NEXT DOOR to anyone who loves a really good cowboy tale, family, friends, love, and laughter. It is all here and much more!