Mateo was just a boy when his mother passed and the Hart family took him in as one of their own. Claire Hawkins is the One Who Got Away, the town beauty who stole his heart in high school only to break it when another man swept her away. Now, Claire’s back on her own, but can the soft-spoken cowboy finally win over his true love for a second chance, or will Mateo’s faithful heart break all over again?Mateo Hart has worked the family ranch since he was old enough to saddle a horse. Adopted into the boisterous Hart clan after tragedy struck his own family, Mateo has always been the quiet one, content to let his actions speak louder than words. His unrequited love for Claire Hawkins has burned steady for years, even after she married another man.
Claire Hawkins has been the belle of the ball most of her life. But fresh out of a failed marriage, to a man who valued her only for her beauty, she’s determined to make a new life for herself on her own and start an event planning business back home. Seeing Mateo in their small town after so many years stirs up complicated feelings Claire thought she'd left behind. The kind, ruggedly handsome cowboy she knew as a girl has grown into a strong, honorable man. One who has never stopped loving her from afar.
With their paths finally intersecting once more, Mateo and Claire must confront the lingering sparks between them. Can Claire open her heart to a second chance at love? And will Mateo's patience and faithfulness ultimately be rewarded by the one who got away? The open ranges of the Hart ranch hold the promise of new beginnings if they're brave enough to take the risk.The Cowboy Brothers of Hart’s Ridge Ranch is a sweet contemporary western romance series with clean and wholesome stories about the blessings of family and the power of love.
You have to love Mateo! Finally since high school Mateo and Claire loved each other but didn’t tell each other. So after quite a few years, they get a chance at a second chance, then third, it is like really. You wanted to take those two and knock their heads together because these two are soulmates. Well with all the heart ache Mateo has been through loosing his mom, seeing Claire marry someone else, and as for Claire marrying someone when you are in love with someone else, but believing he never loved you. The ending is fantastic!! But there is one thing you can learn from this book, if you really love someone don’t hold it inside of you, tomorrow is never promised, second chances is a gamble, but knowing the truth is the best way to go. Who knows they might have been loving you also.
Wow! An empowering story. There were so many instances where the characters should have taken the time to make their feelings known. If they had several things may not have happened in the story. A sweet read.
Still enjoying this series. The romance between these two was slowly built up in the background in the three previous books, so glad that it finally came to fruition! And that’s not a spoiler since it’s very obvious from the start. The writing is very simplistic so I only gave it three stars, but I still really enjoyed it.