Series: Rocky Mountain Twins (Book 4)
A NEW ARRIVAL ON THE RANCH
Champion bull rider Austin Brannigan has returned home to the family ranch to recover from his injury. Only his world is turned on its head when he finds out he has a three-month-old daughter who has no one in the world but him.
As a father, Austin is totally out of his depth. But his physical therapist, the beautiful and determined Erin Carlton, is stepping into the role of temporary mom very quickly. It may not be in her job description, and it may mean putting hopes of her own family on hold. What about Austin's dreams, which mean being out on the circuit? Will baby Lilly help Austin and Erin create a new dream of family?
Good book. Austin is a champion bull rider who was badly injured during his last ride. After three months he has been released to finish his recovery and rehab on the family ranch. He's determined to get back on the rodeo circuit as soon as possible, and his slow progress has made him grumpy and hard to live with. His brother and sister-in-law hire Erin to provide the physical therapy that he needs.
Erin is a widow who lost her husband eighteen months earlier. He had been a Marine who was injured on his last deployment. She gave up her job to stay home and provide the therapy he needed until his death. Since then, she has been determined to have the family that she hadn't had with Jared. She takes the job with Austin to earn money for her IVF treatments.
I loved the first meeting between Austin and Erin. He makes some slightly suggestive remarks and she shoots him down in a hurry. There's a bit of a power struggle between the two of them and Erin comes out on top. He's used to being in charge and getting his way, but he needs her and her expertise, so he has to give in. Over the next couple weeks they butt heads on a regular basis, but Austin improvement is obvious. Underneath the banter and occasional snark is an undercurrent of attraction. But Austin doesn't do relationships, as they are a distraction, and Erin has no desire to have another man in her life.
I liked the development of Austin and Erin's relationship. They developed a pretty good friendship, to the point where Erin was able to tell him about her baby plans. She was also able to open up to him about her marriage, which helped him understand her. Austin's plans for his return to bull riding took a detour when he found out that he was the father of a three-month-old baby girl. Because he still isn't completely mobile, Austin talks Erin into helping him take care of little Lilly.
It was really sweet to see the three of them together. I loved seeing how quickly Austin took to being a daddy. He's nervous but determined to be everything that Lilly needs. Erin fell just as hard for that sweet little girl and watching Austin with her melted Erin's heart. But Erin had been badly betrayed by her husband and his actions, and getting involved with a man who would be leaving to go back to rodeo was something that she was unwilling to do. It was interesting to see the changes that Austin went through as he began to rethink his future. He knew that he wanted Erin to be part of it, but it took a while for him to realize just why. He has insecurities of his own and wants to have his plans set before he says anything to Erin. Meanwhile, her fears have her pushing him away as she tries to protect her heart. I wanted to shake her when she refused to listen to him. I ached for Austin, who was hurt and angry at her rejection. I loved the surprise that finally got them talking to each other. The epilogue was great, with another surprise, though not unexpected. It was great to see the whole family together.
The secondary characters were good. I loved seeing the relationships between Austin and his brothers, Cullen and Trent. The love and support were obvious, especially when it came to giving advice. I also liked seeing Austin and his father start to overcome their differences. The only one I didn't like was Austin's manager, Jay. He seemed more interested in what was in it for him rather than what was best for Austin. His attitude toward Erin was terrible and could be blamed for at least some of the trouble between her and Austin.
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