Series: Darling VT (Book 3)
Veterinarian Rory Gallagher chose a different path from his brothers, both of whom became first responders in the lovely little town of Darling, Vermont. Rory's always had an affinity for animals and the ladies. Known for his impressive track record in breaking hearts, Rory never meant to hurt anyone; he's just never been in a hurry to settle down. It's not as if he needs to pay a visit to the town's famed Kissing Bridge to magically find love. He'll know The One when he sees her. . . right?
Oaklee Ferguson is the kid sister of Rory's best friend and, even now that she's all grown up, remains immune to the pet-doctor's charms. When she shows up at Rory's clinic late one night devastated after hitting a stray dog with her car Rory's so-called bedroom eyes are the last thing on her mind. Still, his care and kindness toward the dog, and his concern for her feelings, catches Oaklee by surprise. . .and soon the two (and rescued dog makes three ) begin to share a deep connection that neither could have ever imagined. Could it be that love has been waiting for them by the bridge all along?
Good second chances/friends to lovers story. Both Oaklee and Rory are longtime residents of Darling and have known each other for most of their lives. Rory and Oaklee's older brother were best friends, while Oaklee was the tagalong "pest." By the time that Oaklee was in high school, she had quite the crush on Rory. But when Cam noticed Rory noticing Oaklee, he shot Rory down and pulled the "treat her like your own sister" card. Both buried their feelings and moved on. Now both are back in Darling, victims of love gone wrong, and coping in different ways. Rory has become a serial dater, avoiding any hint of commitment by only dating a woman a few times at most. Oaklee simply keeps herself too busy to date at all.
I enjoyed the development of Oaklee and Rory's relationship. They've seen each other around town, but not spent any time together. Rory still thinks of her as Cam's little sister, until the night she comes banging on his door, needing his help because she hit a dog with her car. Suddenly he's noticing how pretty she is, remembering the girl she used to be, and sensing loneliness that he can relate to. After she leaves, he can't get her off his mind. Oaklee is in the same situation. Rory decided that what Oaklee needs is a furry companion and talked Oaklee into taking care of the dog they call Buster until his family is found or they find him a forever home. Oaklee is reluctant, as she has never had a pet and thinks she's too selfish to care for one. I loved Rory's methods, and she soon finds herself with a dog. I loved those first few days as both she and Buster learned what was expected. Rory doesn't just fade away, he stays involved, finding all kinds of reasons to check up on them.
I liked the sparks of attraction that kept pulling them toward each other. But both are also very wary and make it clear that they aren't looking for relationships, though being friends is okay. However, neither one can quite keep things in the friend zone, which creates a great deal of confusion for them. Every time their attraction heats up, one or the other panics and pulls away. I ached for Oaklee, who was slowly learning to trust again but wasn't sure if she could believe that Rory wouldn't let her down. She also knew he was holding back and didn't want to risk her heart on someone who wasn't all in. I loved seeing her reach the point where she was able to completely open up about her past, and how she hoped for the same from him. Rory was a harder nut to crack. He'd suffered a double loss and really resisted the idea of taking another chance. He deals her quite a blow when his fears keep him from trusting her with his whole history. When he realizes what he has done and what his feelings are, he has to come up with a way to fix it. I loved his "go big" moment and how it showed how much he had changed too.
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