To claim his heir…
…he must marry his enemy!
Gabe Callaway is outraged when feisty Janette Parker lands on his doorstep with her orphaned niece -- though he soon realizes little Ruby is heir to his ranch! If Janette wants money, he’ll pay her off to keep the little girl in her rightful place. But all Janette wants is Ruby… Will Gabe do whatever it takes to claim his heir -- even marry Janette?
Good book about two determined people, each of whom believes that they are the right person to raise their orphaned niece, Ruby. When Janette received word that her sister and brother-in-law had died, she rushed from Kansas City to Texas to get her three-year-old niece and take her home with her. Believing it's the right thing to do, she stopped at Gabe Callaway's ranch to introduce him to Ruby before continuing on her journey. The last thing she expected was for Gabe to insist that Ruby remains at the Triple C.
Janette is beautiful, stubborn, and fiercely independent. As the daughter of an army officer, she is determined that she will never be subject to the orders of a man again. She has an extremely successful dress shop in Kansas City, which she shared with her sister until she eloped with Max five years earlier. Janette stayed in touch with them and visited when Ruby was born. She is devastated by the loss of her sister and intends to raise Ruby to the best of her ability.
Gabe is handsome, equally stubborn, and has a deep sense of responsibility to his ranch and his people. Five years earlier he had decided it was time to marry and fixed his interest on a young lady he met on the train. After bringing her to visit the ranch, they were hit with a devastating blizzard. As Gabe took care of the ranch, that left his brother Max to entertain Anna, who quickly fell in love with each other. Gabe was hurt and angered by the way the couple left and hasn't seen or spoken to his brother since.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Gabe and Janette. The two of them butted heads from the moment they met. Because Gabe isn't married, and doesn't intend to be, that makes Ruby heir to the Triple C, plus Max's will puts Gabe as Ruby's guardian. Gabe also believes that Janette will give up her claim to Ruby if her offers her enough money. Janette is, of course, infuriated by the assumption and makes it plain that Ruby will be leaving with her. I have to admit that Gabe was pretty obnoxious here and I didn't blame Janette for her attitude at all. As the subject of Max and Anna's wills came up, they realized that their only option was to take their issue to the law. It was fun to see both Gabe and Janette attempt to outwit each other as they make their plans. To their shock, it's the judge who manages to outwit them both.
Besides the sparks of antagonism that sparked between them, there was also an undercurrent of attraction that disturbed them both. After Max and Anna's departure, Gabe had sworn that he would not open himself up to that kind of caring again. Janette had allowed emotion to blind her to the nature of a man before, and she was determined not to do so again. But as they spend time together, they start to see each other differently. When Janette gets a telegram about a break-in at her shop, Gabe insists on going with her. I loved his support of her and how it affected Janette. The growing heat between them leads to a steamy encounter, and also some serious soul-searching on Gabe's part. Meanwhile, Janette feels deep guilt over the trouble she feels she has brought to Gabe, creating some difficult decisions for her.
There is a thread of suspense running through the story, dealing with a man in Janette's past. It turns out he wasn't what he claimed. Though Janette got rid of him once in a most satisfying way, there was more to the story. As the truth was revealed, Gabe's protectiveness takes over. Janette is surprised to find that she is okay with it for the most part. However, when the final confrontation comes, she takes a surprising part in the resolution. The danger also opens both her eyes and Gabe's to what they really want.
I loved the epilogue and the look at the Callaway family several years down the road.
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