A cowboy's back on the ranch…
and ready to rescue his boss
Hired to work as a horse trainer, Mac McBride discovers
that his new employer, Marisa Lindale, is as untrusting as her mustang. Years
ago, she was tormented by a mysterious criminal and now her abductor has
returned! Mac finds himself irresistibly drawn to Marisa and desperate to
protect her…but her plans for revenge might risk both their lives.
A terrific blend of suspense and romance in the final
book of the Cowboys of Holiday Ranch series. The series follows twelve boys pulled
from the streets and courtrooms of Oklahoma City and taken to Big Cass's
Holiday Ranch. Her version of hard work and tough love turned those boys into
good, honest men. I've loved following this series over the last several years
and seeing those same men find love.
The last cowboy left unmarried is Mac McBride. He's a bit
envious of his friends and their happiness but has just about accepted that
he's unlikely to find love at this stage of his life. As the ranch's horse
trainer, he has a reputation as a "horse whisperer" who can gentle almost
any horse. He's surprised when he gets a call from local recluse Marisa, asking
him to work with the starved and abused horse she rescued and named "Spirit."
Years earlier, Marisa was kidnapped off the streets and
held captive for sixty days, kept naked in total darkness, tortured, and abused
by her captor. When he tired of the game, he left her tied up and naked in
front of the Bitterroot Post Office, but not before telling her that he would
kidnap her again when he wanted to have more fun. After years away, many hours
of therapy, and every self-defense class she could take, Marisa has been back
home for a year. She trusts no one and lives with her guard dog in a cabin on
her mother's ranch, seeing no one. When she learns of Mac's reputation with
horses, she hires him to work with Spirit.
I loved watching the relationship develop between Mac and
Marisa. Abused himself as a child, Mac understands both the horse and the woman.
His calmness and patience as he works to earn the horse's trust also work on
Marisa. Watching Mac work with Spirit gives her a sense of peace she hasn't
felt since her kidnapping. The time they spend together is more than enough for
Mac to begin to fall for her. There were some sweet scenes of the two of them
together as Marisa slowly relaxed in his company.
But when the threats against her started up again, Marisa
tried to push Mac away. She didn't want him to get hurt, but she also didn't
want him to interfere with her plans. For many years, she's planned her
revenge, which involves letting her tormentor get close enough for her to kill
him. She's prepared for the possibility for a year, with weapons stashed around
her home and confidence in her self-defense skills. Mac is horrified by her
plans and fears the effect that success would have on her. Determined to
protect her despite herself, Mac takes his own steps to watch over her. When
it's all over, he must find a way to overcome her anger and her belief that
she's still too broken for him. I loved seeing his persistence and care for her
pay off in the end.
The suspense of the story was intense from the start. The
first part of the book had that sense of impending doom as Marisa waited for
the threats to begin. Because of where she was found the first time, she's confident
that her tormentor is someone who lives in the Bitterroot area. As the threats
began, she tried to hide them from Mac and keep him away. I liked how Mac
insisted on getting the sheriff involved and how they tried to figure out who
it was. There were several possibilities, and I was anxious to see if my
suspicions were correct. The intensity increased with the escalation of the
threats. I feared for Marisa when all her planning turned out to be worthless.
Mac's fear for her was palpable when her captor got away with her again. The
final confrontation had me on the edge of my seat until it was all over.
I also loved that the ongoing feud between Holiday Ranch
and the ranch next door finally ended. From the very first book, our
cowboys fought against constant vandalism, theft, and general nuisance behavior
with no way to prove it. I was happy to see that the worst instigators finally
got careless enough to get caught.
It was great fun to catch up with couples from previous
books in the series and see how life and love have changed them. I can't wait
to see what's next from the author.
and ready to rescue his boss
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