Series: Cardwell Cousins (Book 5)Cardwell Ranch (Book 9)
Dee Anna Justice had thought that her convict father was her only living relative. Now Walter Justice, fearing for his daughter's safety, urges her to seek out her cousins in Montana. Calling in a decades-old debt, he also enlists private investigator Beau Tanner to protect her.
Despite their fiery attraction, she resents the bodyguard her dad foists on her. Trust doesn't come easy to DJ. But the warm, embracing family she finds at Cardwell ranch just might begin to soften her suspicious nature, and learning to trust the sexy PI may be the key to saving her life.
Good story that focuses on the importance of family. As the daughter of a conman, DJ grew up always on the move, believing that her father was the only family she had. She discovers otherwise when a doll and photograph are mysteriously left in her apartment. When she confronts her imprisoned father, DJ learns that she has cousins in Montana on her father's side and the possibility that her mother's relatives may have "found" her. Her dad insists that she visit her cousins where she will be safe.
Meanwhile, dad contacts the son of a former partner in Montana to call in a favor. Beau is now a private investigator, but he had made Walter a promise many years earlier. Walter is concerned for DJ's safety and asks Beau to watch out for her. He also refuses to tell Beau the details of what he believes is happening.
I loved DJ's arrival in Montana. She had been very wary about meeting these relatives she knew nothing about, but from the moment she arrived, she felt at home. She was surprised to find out that a former roommate of hers had impersonated her with the family and caused trouble (Cardwell Ranch Trespasser). One of the things she wants from the visit is to get answers about why her father had kept them a secret. She was not happy with Beau's arrival and his insistence that she is in danger.
I liked the development of the relationship between Beau and DJ. Beau had never forgotten the one time he met her, when he was ten and she was five. He had sensed she needed help then but was too young to do anything. Now he has his chance to protect her, and he won't mess it up. There were sparks between them immediately, though both are wary of them. Neither one is very good at trusting people, thanks to their lives with conman fathers, but those shared childhood experiences also form a connection that neither can deny. I liked seeing them learn to trust each other, as Beau stuck close to DJ. There were several sweet moments between them, and I especially enjoyed the Christmas tree search. The heat between them continued to build, as did their feelings for each other. There was a little problem with lack of communication which pulled them apart at the end until a conversation with his secretary opened Beau's eyes. I loved his big moment at the end, which was sweet and romantic.
The suspense of the story was good. The bad guys are known from the start, but the backstory of why DJ is in danger is revealed slowly. There are two different hit men, each with his own motivations. The person who started the trouble had warped values but was also taken advantage of by someone she trusted, making the situation worse. Getting the points of view of the various players was excellent at building the tension to the final confrontation. There were some interesting twists leading up to the end, both satisfying and heart-wrenching.
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