A Measure Of Love

Kincaid Trilogy #2

by Lindsay McKenna

A MEASURE OF LOVE...

That was what Rafe Kincaid offered her. Yet Jessie knew it wasn't enough - for either of them.

She'd come to protect the wild horses that roamed his land. But one look at the proud, defiant rancher was enough to warn her - it was her heart that was in danger. Rafe had lost love once to tragedy, and Jessie feared she could never persuade him to take that chance again. OR could she? Could their passion convince him to abandon the past...before history repeated itself?

Genres: Category Romance, Romance

252 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1987

About the author

I've lived six lives in one and it all shows up in the books I write, one way or another.

I was always a risk taker and broke mustangs at thirteen years old in Oregon. I learn to break them with love, not threat or pain.

At 17 years old, I picked night-crawlers (worms) out in our Oregon orchards from 9pm to midnight, every night. I earned enough money to buy my school clothes and book. I also plunked down $600 to a flight company at the Medford, Oregon airport and asked them to teach me...a girl...to fly. I soloed in 12 hours, which is average. From that time until I left for the US Navy at 18, I had accrued 39 hours of flight time in my Cessna 150 single engine airplane.

I was in the US military and was an AG3 (weather forecaster). There was no airplane club, so I couldn't fly when I was in the Navy. But I could look at the clouds in the sky ;-).

Later, I flew in a B-52 bomber for a day and night mission (18 hours total), a T-38 Talon jet, USAF, where I was riding in a "chase plane" on a test flight in a Dragonfly jet.

I was one of the first AFLA (American Fencing League of America) women fencers to fence with epee and sabre. These weapons were closed to women because they were too 'heavy' for a female to handle. I said baloney and fought the males and won half my bouts. I was part of a surge of women fencers on the East Coast in the 1970's to push for equality in the sport. Together, we changed the sport and changed the mind of the men. Today? In the Olympics? Women now fence in foil, epee and sabre, thanks to what we did as a vanguard showing the world it could be done.

I then became a volunteer firefighter when I was a civilian once more, the first woman in an all - male fire department in West Point, Ohio for three years. I became a local expert not only in firefighting, driving the engine and tanker trunks, but also had training in hazardous material (Reynoldsburg Fire Academy, Columbus, OH).

My books always reflect what I experienced. If you like edgy, gritty, deeply and emotionally intense love stories with sympathetic heroes and heroines, check out my newest series that will be available mid-Oct. 2015, and it incorporates much of what I have lived.

Reviews

[Kate Vale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jessica Scott works for the BLM, but has never been out of her office, even though the wild mustangs in the Western states are her reason for being. When a rancher is accused of killing the horses on his ranch, she is dispatched to find out what is going on and whether the accusations are accurate. But her arrival, after she crashes her car in order to avoid hitting cattle on the road, is less than positive. But Rafe Kincaid, the rancher she was going to meet, is the one to find her and thus begins an on-again, off-again attraction that confuses both of them and leaves them wanting closure of at least some kind.

The thing is: Rafe wasn't guilty, and Jess realizes she really doesn't want to stay in DC, particularly after she inherits a ranch in Wyoming, but can she run it and what if what happened to Rafe's late wife also happens to her?

[Marsha Stearns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jessica finally gets out of her comfortable BLM office with her pet mouse and into the real ranching world. Suddenly the world is so much bigger and in full color. Rafe's been stuck in grief too long till he's almost run over by Jessica. Life's a journey, not a destination.

[Adrianna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love McKenna's writing and horses! She has a great writing style, and does a good balance of plot and romance. The heroine works for a government agency that investigates the preservation of wild horses, though she has never ridden a horse and works 100% of the time in a cubicle. However, she is sent ALONE to do field work on a remote ranch out west, with no experience horse back riding, or even doing field work (how is she to know what is she supposed to even look for?). The owner of the ranch (Rafe) is accused of shooting mustangs. Despite no evidence and her increasing attraction and belief in him, she "must investigate" in the mountains, not like you know try to find out who made the anonymous phone call, or go through paperwork or records from the ranches, or interview employees. The heroine is afraid to ride a plane alone, yet seems willing to trot off into the mountains for 2 WEEKS to "investigate" when she has NO EXPERIENCE riding or camping. Worse yet, the hero, Rafe, is a huge ass and deliberately pushes her really hard the first day ever riding a horse (to get"back" at her), forcing her to canter (a very difficult riding skill to master) on a mountain tail no less until she has bruises and blood on her legs. This was painful to read, and how mind mindbogglingly stupid and dangerous the premise of this plot was (she also had a serious head injury from a car accident and this recovery is treated poorly). Otherwise, the writing and details are really good and accurate and I felt like I was "there" on the ranch. Why couldn't' they have just made the heroine a more experienced rider and circumvented this cringy plot line? McKenna writes herself into corners in this one,plot wise. I mean, the car accident could have been much more minor, and the heroine more experienced in field work to make some plot elements more believable. Otherwise, it really could have been a perfect romance.