Coltons (Book 99)
From hunting cattle rustlers
To being hunted by a killer
Investigating cattle rustlers seems like a typical day on
the job for Deputy Sheriff Casey Colton. But when ranch hand Melody Hayworth
insists on working the case with him, he's reluctant to involve a civilian.
Fighting their growing bond while tracking lawbreakers proves no easy task. And
as Casey and Melody stumble across a corpse, they're caught in a criminal's
crosshairs. The deputy's new mission? Protect Melody and find the killer before
it's too late.
Good book with a nice blend of suspense and romance,
leaning a little more on the romance side. Having recently solved one cattle
rustling case, Casey is picked for another one. A local rancher and bigwig is
missing some of his very valuable Angus cattle and wants it investigated
immediately. He assigns one of his ranch hands to stick with Casey and provide
any needed assistance. Casey isn't thrilled to involve a civilian, especially a
female one.
There are sparks between Casey and Melody from the start,
and neither one is happy about it. Casey was left at the altar by his fiancée and
is not interested in pursuing any new relationships. Melody is recently
divorced from a man who constantly put her down, causing her to doubt her
judgment. She isn't interested in letting a man into her life, but she also
won't be sidelined. Though Casey is initially reluctant to take Melody along on
his investigation, she makes a good case that her knowledge of the ranch would
be an asset. With it being just the two of them, they had plenty of time to
talk and get to know each other. Neither planned to talk about their pasts, but
their growing closeness made it happen anyway. It was interesting to see how
they reacted to each other at times, their responses influenced by their pasts.
Though the sparks flared hot enough at one point for them to give in, both
still resist the thought of anything more. While I appreciated that there was
no quick declaration of feelings, there were moments of frustration that Casey,
especially, was going to let his fears come between them. I liked the realistic
ending as both of them faced their fears and sought to move forward.
The suspense of the story was good. The value of the
cattle was a good incentive for their theft, and for the desire of their owner
to get them back. I found the electronic tagging of the animals interesting and
how that enabled them to be tracked. I was a bit skeptical of the length of
time it took Casey and Melody to catch up, as two people on horseback should
have been able to move faster than people who also had to herd cows, but it
worked for the story. Things got complicated when Casey and Melody found one of
the cattle dead, and the body of a ranch hand nearby, making them realize that
the danger is a bit greater than they had previously thought. One clue that
they found gave Casey one suspect, but he wasn't sure about it. The final
confrontation was intense, with both Casey and Melody in extreme danger. Both
kept their heads as they faced the rustlers, though Casey's shock and anger
were obvious. The resolution was terrific with help coming from an unexpected
source.
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