Series: Texas Cattleman's Club: The Stolen Baby (Book 6)
HOT PURSUIT
Tracker Darin Shakir worked alone. The mysterious Cattleman's Club member had been burned in the past and he wasn't about to see innocents hurt on this mission. But plans had gone awry -- he'd wound up injured, and in bartender Fiona Powers's capable hands. The feisty redhead was more than a match for this brooding sheikh and insisted on helping Darin. But his temporary, sexy new partner was a very tempting distraction Darin didn't want, even as he yearned to show Fiona the fiery attraction blazing inside.
Good book. Though this is the last in the six-book Stolen Baby subset of the Texas Cattleman's Club series, it can be read as a standalone. There was enough backstory given that I didn't feel lost, though I'm sure it would have been even better had I read the previous books before this one. I still want to read the others. The premise of the series is that a doctor is running a black market baby ring, and various members of the TCC get involved in stopping it. In this book, the doctor is on the run, and TCC member Darin Shakir has stepped up to find him and bring him to justice.
Darin is well known for his ability to track anyone under any circumstances, and equally well known for working alone. He isn't happy about being told that he has to work with an FBI agent and plans to do his best to avoid it. Thanks to a case of mistaken identity, he believes that bartender Fiona Powers is that agent. When his first encounter with the bad guy goes wrong, Darin is injured and ends up in her hands.
I loved the scene in the bar when Fiona and Darin first meet. There are sparks between them, but Darin tries to focus on his mission and believes that she is his FBI contact. When he's injured saving her, Fiona takes him back to her apartment and insists on caring for him. I loved the contest of wills between them, and Fiona's method of ensuring his cooperation. Both Fiona and Darin are stubborn when they believe they are right, and this trend continues throughout the book.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Fiona and Darin. Darin has been a loner since the deaths of his fiancée and unborn child in circumstances he blames himself for. He makes it clear that he doesn't do relationships and that anything that happens between them is short-term only. This makes it all that more unsettling for him when he can't stop thinking about her and experiences something closely resembling possessiveness and jealousy at several times during their search for the bad guy. Fiona has plans for her future, and they don't include a relationship. Over the next few days, as they worked together, I loved seeing Fiona's feisty attitude knock down the walls that Darin had put up around his heart. Fiona had believed that she could get through her time with Darin without losing her heart. The heat between them was intense, though there were several times when luck was against them doing anything about it. When they finally succeeded, the connection surprised them both. I ached for them both when it was time for Darin to leave. She knew how she felt, and that the pain of losing him would linger for a long time. It took Darin a bit longer to realize his feelings. I loved the scene at the airport when she shocked him with her goodbye words and his stunned reaction. It still took some good advice from his friends to get him moving in the right direction. I did like his big moment, and both the love and respect he showed for her. The epilogue was good too, bringing all the couples from the series together.
The mystery of the story was well done. Tracking and capturing the elusive kidnapper was not as easy as Darin thought it would be. That first encounter when Darin was injured gave a good idea of the challenges ahead of him. Because of his past, I understood his wish to work alone, and how hard it was to accept Fiona's help. For the reader, there was also the occasional peek into the viewpoint of the bad guy, adding an extra layer of intensity to the growing tension. The final confrontation was terrific, with some unexpected twists. I loved Fiona's strength of will and her part in taking down the bad guy. I could feel Darin's fear for her and his determination to save her. I was on the edge of my seat until it was all over. My only unresolved question was if they were able to find all the missing babies.
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