This is a gorgeous story of Paul's first arrival at the ranch, and will push a lot of buttons if, like me, you've already read the Falls Ranch books and are familiar with the characters. We get to see a young and pretty Paul who takes a temporary housekeeping job at the ranch in December, as they're short-staffed for a few weeks before Christmas. At the ranch are Philip, David, Roger, Gerry and Bear (yep, just Philip managing four brats!) and Paul's introduction to the ranch is a rich, heartwarming story that at the same time made me a little teary eyed .
Paul is probably my favourite FCR character, as well as one of my favourite characters of all time, so naturally the story of how he arrived to the ranch and became such an integral part of the family is one of my most well loved ones <3
It's great to see him in his late teens compared to the usual middle-age, more guarded but no less sure of himself and already so much PAUL. I loved seeing him interact with David and it breaks my heart to know they don't have much time left together.
I loved this one. So great to see not only Paul when he was younger, and see him in a different light, but to see him from a new perspective, especially Phillip's and David's when he's not totally put together and still finding his place. Plus, I love hearing him talk about Maine, his grandmother and the boarding house and tenants :)
These shorts are actually quite long, and so good. Paul was my least favourite character from the family in this series. I just couldn't understand or relate to him. I couldn't visualise him. This story set me straight and now I love him. Great big weeping session at the end. Loved it. So great to see Phillip and David in context, and the infamous Gerry and Bear as youngsters. Also sad to see Roger reading his books knowing what his outcome is to be.