Series: Texas Legacies: The Lockharts (Book 3)
A Sweetheart Deal
Wyatt Lockhart is bound to regret moving in with Adelaide Smythe. She's broken the Texas rancher's heart before, and their last spontaneous reunion resulted in a couple of surprises -- twin babies! Wyatt won't shirk his fatherly duties, but being this close to Adelaide makes it hard to remember why he should stay far away.
Adelaide knows she hurt Wyatt, and she's determined never to do it again. Once they figure out how to share parenting duties, she'll give him enough space to keep both their hearts safe. But life together at the Circle H is already growing on her. For the sake of their family's future, can Wyatt forgive Adelaide for the past?
Very good book about trust and forgiveness. Adelaide and Wyatt have a tumultuous history. They had been high school sweethearts who eloped on Valentine's Day. But Adelaide panicked after the deed was done, breaking Wyatt's heart. They spent the next nine years trying to avoid each other until one chance encounter fanned the flames between them. Again, Adelaide pulled away, with still more reasons that they couldn't be together. Add in the bad blood caused by her father, and it's no wonder that Wyatt has trouble trusting her. When Wyatt puts a private investigator to work on her, to protect his mother, what he uncovers is quite a shock.
The annulment they applied for all those years ago never went through, so they are still married. In the course of trying to straighten out that mess, they discover that Adelaide's twins aren't the product of her artificial insemination, but that chance encounter with Wyatt. Now they have to figure out how to deal with that and each other.
I liked Wyatt a lot. He's been burned by Adelaide before, so he is understandably cautious around her. When he finds out that he is the twins' father he is shocked but surprisingly happy. I loved the way that he immediately stepped up to be part of their lives. He is protective of those he cares about and will do whatever necessary to keep them safe.
I liked Adelaide too. She has had a hard time lately. Besides the exhaustion of being the single parent of twins, she is still dealing with the fallout of her father's crimes. She is very independent and doesn't like to ask for help from anyone. She is also a cautious person, who likes to think out the ramifications of any action before she takes it. The times she hadn't have led to disaster, so now she keeps a tight hold on her emotions. The only exception is the love that she feels for her babies, for whom she will do anything.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Wyatt and Adelaide. They move in together to learn how to share parenting the babies. It was so sweet to see the way that they worked through the everyday challenges of taking care of the babies, which drew them closer together. I loved the scene at the doctor's office when the twins' had their immunizations. The enforced togetherness also fans the flames of attraction that still flare between them. Though each attempts to believe that they can indulge without risking their emotions, it's soon obvious that their feelings for each other have deepened. Wyatt really wants a life together, but has a feeling that Adelaide is holding something back, which triggers bad memories of their past. Adelaide wants the same, but the secret she's been hiding is tearing her apart. When it all blows up, both Wyatt and Adelaide have to face up to the mistakes of past and present and decide if they can overcome the obstacles and move on together. I loved seeing them finally be open and honest with each other, risking everything to have it all. The epilogue was pretty sweet, too.
The storyline with Adelaide's father was good and underscored the issues that Wyatt and Adelaide had. With her father on the run, Adelaide had to deal with the constant feeling of sharing his guilt. The odd messages that she continued to receive didn't help. I ached for her and the conflict that she felt between her anger at what he had done and the love for him that she still had. It made what she did at the end doubly hard.
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