Back to Gold Valley and revisits some folks we’ve met before in the Gold Valley Vineyard series by Maisey Yates. THE RANCHER’S WAGER seems to be the ending to what has been an enjoyable series predominately about two competitive families and the inevitable proverbial meeting of the hearts if not the minds.

THE RANCHER’S WAGER centers on Jackson Cooper and Cricket Maxwell. As it turns out Jackson’s mother and Cricket’s father have a history, which ended and they both ended up married to what you might call a runner-up. Each family fully acknowledges that their families could fit the description of dysfunctional, even if all members were unaware of any undercurrent. The patriarch and matriarch of each of these families kept secrets from their family. But when the kids became adults some secrets just have a way of seeping out.

Jackson learned a lot about his parents and their marriage while spending time with his ailing mother, things he was not going to share with his siblings. Cricket had grown up knowing that her parents’ marriage was not on solid ground. Cricket always had a crush on Jackson but the Coopers were considered off-limits to the Maxwells. She started to wonder why she was so very different from her sisters. And her mind led her to think about the possibility that her father wasn’t really hers. Could it be that her mother had an affair? Could she be the offspring?

Cricket is determined to ferret out information about her true heritage. The first available opportunity was at a charity poker game. Her hand was sure to be the winner, so she added some personal items in the ante. Cricket needed to beat Jackson Cooper. She was pretty sure he had the answers to many of her questions. Let the games begin.

So now, Jackson must work on Cricket’s ranch for thirty days. Not much of a ranch – at least not yet – but Cricket is determined to strike out on her own. She wants nothing to do with her family vineyard business. Cooper is no one’s fool. He has an ulterior motive for letting Cricket win. He wants to buy her land to join with his own ranch. For the next thirty days, Jackson will do all he can to prove how difficult running a ranch could be, especially for a young single woman.

The Gold Valley Vineyard series has been a joy to read and review. I am a huge fan of Maisey Yates. Nothing more entertaining than having ringside seats to a match between two strong-willed, intelligent, characters. Cricket is a truly spirited character with her eyes and heart set on Jackson. Maisey Yates was creative in setting the stage for an unimaginable conflict. My bet was on Maisey Yates to come up with a winning hand in THE RANCHER’S WAGER.