His travels are over, but his journey is just beginning…
It takes a different kind of courage to open up to love.
An explosion ended Jake Kelly’s military career. Now his
days are spent alone on his ranch, and his nights are spent keeping his PTSD at
bay. But the former Marine’s efforts to keep the beautiful local bartender at a
distance are thwarted by his canine companion. Every time he turns around,
Molly is racing off to the Circle G looking for Skylar Gilmore. Maybe the dog
knows that two hearts are better than one?
Very good book. Jake came to Haven looking for peace and
a way to get his life back on track after leaving the Marines. We first see him
when he walks into Digger's Bar and orders a beer. Sky is the bartender, and
she attempts to make conversation with him, but Jake isn't cooperating. He
bluntly tells her that he's "not here for conversation," so she
leaves him alone. But he made an impression on her, and she keeps an eye on him
as he drinks his beer and leaves.
Sky is a friendly, kind, and compassionate woman. Besides
a couple of shifts she works at Digger's, she also works at her family's store
and is a counselor at the high school and the local women's shelter. She is also
on a relationship hiatus, as all of her previous relationships have ended badly.
But there is something about Jake that stirs her up.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Jake and Sky
develop. It started very slowly. Jake comes into the bar at the same time every
Wednesday night, drinks one beer, and leaves. Sky never gives up on him and
continues to talk to him until he finally talks back a little. The sparks are
there, though Jake is determined to ignore them. He does pretty well until the
day he finds her stranded on the side of the road. The sparks burst into flame,
and they spend some very satisfying time together. But Jake is so freaked out
by how right it felt to be with Sky that he behaved like a jerk to her.
Fortunately, he apologized and explained, and they continued to spend time
together.
I hurt for Jake because of his struggles. He was
medically retired because of the injuries he received during the attack that
also killed most of his team. Besides his PTSD, he also suffers from survivor's
guilt. He feels that he's too broken to be suitable for anyone. He moved to
Haven to get away from his family after a flashback incident. Jake feels like a
failure when he compares himself to his older brother, Luke. Those feelings
aren't helped by their father, a retired Marine who continually harps on Jake's
lack of a plan for his future and his "quitting." Jake's best friend
is his dog, Molly, who helps ground him during his episodes. Molly takes a
liking to Sky, and there are some fun parts involving the three of them.
The more time that they spent together, the closer Jake
and Sky grew. I loved how Sky gave Jake the space that he wanted by not
pestering him to talk about his experiences or feelings. Jake fought hard
against his feelings for her, convinced that he would only hurt her if he tried
for something deeper. Meanwhile, Sky realized that she had fallen hard for Jake,
and was looking at likely having her heart broken. There is an emotional and
heart-wrenching confrontation between them when she calls him out on his
refusal to take a chance on them. Jake gets some advice and help from an
unexpected source, after a heart-to-heart that opens his eyes to what he needs
to do.
I hurt for Sky during this time as she tried to deal with
Jake's rejection and disappearance. There's a sweet conversation between Sky
and her younger sister, Ashley, that helps her to feel a little better. The
ending was great as Jake put his heart on the line spectacularly and
romantically.
There were also some emotional moments as we get a peek
into Sky's professional life. Her actions regarding Ashley's friend Chloe, as
well as Chloe's sister Jodie, showed the depth of her commitment to helping
young people. I also liked the way that Sky helped her former high school
classmate escape from her situation. Both incidents demonstrated Sky's
determination and compassion.
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