Vicki Lewis Thompson returns to the Buckskin Ranch in Baby-Daddy Cowboy, and the title speaks for itself. The weekend of Lucy and Matt’s wedding was obviously momentous for the Buckskin Brotherhood, but it turns out that Lucy and Matt’s lives weren’t the only ones that changed forever that weekend. CJ Andrews and Isabel Ricchetti, one of Lucy’s bridesmaids, experienced an immediate attraction that led to a night full of passion. As the weeks go by, CJ can’t quite forget Isabel, but he doesn’t expect to hear from her again. So he’s surprised when she calls him, but not nearly as surprised as he is to hear her news. CJ is going to be a daddy. They make arrangements for Isabel to come visit him so that can they make decisions regarding their baby’s future. But CJ isn’t thrilled with Isabel’s plans. Since they live so far apart, Isabel believes it’s best that they co-parent as friends and leave each other free to meet someone else someday to build their lives with. And she wants to start being just friends immediately, which means no romance while she’s visiting. CJ doesn’t like the idea of not sharing his bed with Isabel, but he really hates the idea of not being a day-to-day figure in his baby’s life. And the more he thinks about it the more he realizes he wants to be part of Isabel’s life too. So CJ tells her that he’s willing to relocate to Seattle. Isabel, however, can’t bear to see him give up his life on the ranch. Deep down, she knows that CJ is the man she wants, but she fears that letting him come to Seattle will make him miserable and eventually destroy them. At the same time, Isabel can’t keep herself from falling more and more in love with CJ. They seem destined to have broken hearts until Isabel’s sister comes through with an idea that may let the whole family live happily ever after.
Baby-Daddy Cowboy is another great addition to the Buckskin Brotherhood series. The “unexpected baby” storyline is fairly prevalent in the romance genre, but I particularly enjoyed how Ms. Thompson utilized it in this book. Isabel doesn’t hide her pregnancy from CJ. That’s not always a bad storyline; Ms. Thompson uses that angle in the McGavin Brothers series with great success. But I enjoyed seeing Isabel and CJ face their unexpected news together. It really allowed Ms. Thompson to show what a caring and honorable man CJ is. Even though he’s shocked, overwhelmed, and more than a little bit terrified, CJ is always committed to being there for his child. He never considers otherwise.
More importantly, CJ’s determination to follow Isabel to Seattle reveals just how much he respects Isabel. He knows that she has a successful business that she loves back in Seattle, so it never occurs to CJ to pressure Isabel to stay in Montana. He just assumes that he will be the one to relocate if they are going to try to be a family. I love that CJ values Isabel’s success. I often see people criticize the romance genre (books and movies) for depicting women who are expected to give up their professional dreams for the pursuit of love. While I still enjoy many romances (again, both books and movies) that feature these scenarios, it is always a refreshing change of pace to read a romance where the male lead automatically sees his love interest’s professional goals as a priority.
**Warning: Potential Spoilers Ahead!**
Finally, I have to mention how much I loved Isabel’s sister, Naomi. Naomi never appears in the book in person; Isabel just speaks with her over the phone. But she plays an integral role in the resolution of Baby-Daddy Cowboy. When Isabel leaves Seattle to visit CJ, Naomi steps in to run Isabel’s coffee shop. She knows that her sister loves CJ and is conflicted about what she should do about her relationship with him, so she’s happy to give Isabel the time to work things out with CJ. But Naomi also genuinely enjoys being in charge of Isabel’s shop and proves herself to be very competent doing so. In the end (and this is the kinda spoiler), Naomi makes a suggestion that allows Isabel to expand her professional dreams and gives Naomi a chance to explore hers, all while allowing CJ and Isabel to build a family together. I love that Naomi’s idea doesn’t just accommodate CJ and Isabel’s wishes. She also demonstrates a lot of personal strength and faith in her own abilities in this decision. Strong, confident characters are always very enjoyable to me. And I believe it’s a big testament to Ms. Thompson’s skills as a writer that she can create a character that I appreciate so much without having the character actually appear in person. Not every writer could use a handful of telephone conversations to create such a dynamic character.
I highly recommend Baby-Daddy Cowboy and the series as a whole. Fans of Vicki Lewis Thompson or just romance novels in general won’t want to miss this enjoyable series. I received an ARC from the author, which did not influence my review.