Series: Mystic Creek (Book 6)
Erin De Laney came to Mystic Creek hoping that the slower
pace might rekindle her enthusiasm for law enforcement. Instead she feels as
frustrated as she did in the city and when her disillusionment with the job
increases, she takes a position on her uncle's ranch.
Her life has enough complications without her attraction
to handsome, deaf cowboy, Wyatt Fitzgerald, the foreman on the ranch. Wyatt has
sworn off dating, and Erin fears that nothing she does will ever change his
mind. Yet while working with an abused horse under Wyatt's guidance, Erin comes
to better understand herself. She also learns that love can heal almost
anything.
Wyatt yearns to take Erin into his arms, but he's
hesitant to pursue a romantic relationship. When their work sends them out
alone together into a wilderness area, Wyatt is even more determined to hold
Erin at arm's length.
But out of their time alone together on the mountain
blossoms a chance for a once-in-a-lifetime love if only he's willing to give
her his heart and make her his.
Good book. This continues the story of Wyatt and Erin that
began in Strawberry Hill. It is full of deep emotions, self-discovery, and
facing some hard decisions. Some lighter moments show the good side of living
in a small town.
Erin is an attractive but intense deputy who seems to
look at life as a competition that she has to win. There were many times in the
first part of the book when I wanted to shake her and tell her to lighten up.
But the more I learned of her past, the more I understood where she was coming
from, and rooted for her to let go of her past. Erin moved from the city to the
small town because her experiences there made her question her role as a cop.
Unfortunately, though the pace is slower and the crime rate lower, she still
questions her future. She also is attracted to her uncle's ranch foreman,
Wyatt. However, nothing she does gets a similar response from him.
Wyatt is the ranch foreman. He has been deaf his whole life,
but reads lips and has taught himself to speak almost as well as a hearing
person. He's great with horses and has been known to gentle the most stubborn
animals. He also watches out for his younger brother Kennedy, who works on the
ranch part-time while he goes to college. Wyatt is attracted to Erin, but a
life-altering event seven years earlier made him swear off women and
relationships. Resisting Erin becomes more difficult the more often he is around
her.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between
Wyatt and Erin. After a major misunderstanding brought on by well-meaning, but erroneous
information from Kennedy, Erin and Wyatt agree to be friends. I liked seeing
their friendship blossom once Erin gave up the constant come-ons. Wyatt's
deafness allowed him to develop in other ways, and his empathy ratings are off
the charts. I loved the way he saw Erin so clearly and tried to help her understand
how her past still affects her life. When Erin hit a wall in her law
enforcement career, causing her to reevaluate her life, Wyatt was there for
her. At first, he wasn't too happy about her working for him on the ranch, as
her proximity was a greater temptation. He also had to deal with her competitive
nature, and find a way to get her past it. I loved the method he found, and how
well it worked.
I ached for Erin almost as much as I wanted to smack her
at times. Her entire life was spent trying to please her father. She went into
law enforcement because of him. She has bottled up her emotions because of him.
Her need to be better than everyone else is because of him. She is miserably
unhappy as a cop but sticks it out because she doesn't want to disappoint him
by quitting. That is until one heart-breaking event turns out to be the last
straw and she turns in her badge. Her Uncle Slade gives her a job as a ranch
hand and turns her over to Wyatt. Erin still can't let go of her need to be the
fastest, smartest, best, and puts herself and others in danger because of it.
Her stubbornness makes her ignore all attempts to help her, as she sees them as
slurs on her capability. It takes nearly being fired for her to realize that
she needs to change. I loved how Wyatt used an abused horse to get through to
her.
Both Wyatt and Erin have let their pasts define their
lives. I loved seeing the changes in Erin as she realizes how badly her parents'
actions have affected her. Once that barrier is broken down, Erin finds it much
easier to let go of her intense need to be the best. I loved her patience with
the horse and how she sees parallels between them. The event in Wyatt's past
that affected him so profoundly is heartbreaking. His reason for avoiding
relationships is understandable and I ached for his belief that happiness is
not in the cards for him. He has gone seven years successfully avoiding
temptation, but Erin puts an end to that. She stirs him up, and resisting her
becomes more difficult. A little matchmaking interference from Slade and Vicki
throws Erin and Wyatt together in the wilderness, where there's no way to get
away from each other. I loved seeing the sparks build between them. There's a
slight hiccup when Erin confesses something to Wyatt, but Wyatt's anger is short-lived
when Erin ends up in danger. It's an intense time but helps break down the
final barriers between them.
There is a secondary romance going on between Erin's
friend Julie and the pawnshop owner, Blackie. Julie has been interested in him
for a long time, but he seems oblivious to it. She is surprised to discover
that he is also interested, but is resistant because there is a twenty-year age
difference between them. I enjoyed seeing their relationship grow. Blackie is
young for his age, and a really sweet guy. He also becomes very protective of
Julie. There is a fantastic section as he takes care of her when she goes down
with a virus. There are some rough patches as they work their way through what
each is looking for in a relationship, but it's easy to see that they belong
together. Though they see their lives going down a particular path, it's always
fun to see when Fate throws a bump in the road. This specific bump was a
complete surprise and forced some self-examination on both their parts. The
conclusion was not unexpected, and I look forward to seeing them in future
books.
Wyatt's brother, Kennedy, has some page time of his own.
He is a terrific young man, responsible, kind, and with a good head on his
shoulders. I liked his dedication to his studies, and to the work he does on
the ranch. On a rare trip into town, he rescued a young woman who was being
threatened by her ex-boyfriend. Though she's only a senior in high school, Jen
is just as focused as Kennedy, and they develop a friendship. Kennedy is a bit
wary because he's older than she is. I liked their interactions as Kennedy
frequents the hamburger drive-in where Jen works. It's Kennedy's friendship with
her and knowing the type of person she is that makes him realize that something
is very wrong when he arrives one evening and she isn't there. I ached for them
both because of what happened. Kennedy's kindness and maturity are showcased in
the following days and weeks, as he is there for Jen when she needs him. I hope
that there will be more about them in future books.
There are also some fun moments with the ranch's rescue
bear, Four-Toes. His story began in the previous book when he was rescued as a
cub. His encounter with Jen is pretty funny and unexpectedly leads to a change
for him, too.
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