C. J. Wright has a simple strategy for his life. Get his ranch going. Sell the family's candy shop. And fix his relationship with his young son.
Nowhere in his plan is there room for a woman like Janey Sweeter-than-She-Looks Wilson, his new employee. A tempting mix of contradictions, she's a puzzle he'd love to solve. More, her city-girl exterior calls to his wild side—that rodeo-riding guy he turned his back on. The one who could jeopardize all he's working for now.
But things get interesting when his son becomes attached to Janey. C.J.'s forced to look beyond her surface to the woman inside. Could the emotional connection he finds persuade him to change all his plans?
4 Stars ~ Ms. Sullivan's second book in her Ordinary, Montana series pulls you in from the first pages.
The cover synopsis is pretty spot-on. C.J. hadn't known he was a father until he found his son in his ex-girlfriend's appalling apartment. The child was screaming, hungry, and in a filthy diaper. Just one look and C.J. knew the boy was his, so he scooped him up and took him home. Now he has to face Child Services and prove he's a fit father. But some thing has spooked his son and he refuses to bond with his father.
Janey is a young woman who is mourning the death of her daughter. Her life has been one of huge sacrifices, first as a surrogate mother to her siblings when her own mother died when Janey was only 10, and then when she gave birth at the age of 15. She helped her daughter Chrissy battle cancer, only to lose her when she was hit by a car. The Sheltering Arms Ranch had welcomed Chrissy as a cancer child, and now they offered refuge while Janey came to terms with her loss. It's been a year now, the cancer children at the ranch love Janey but it's a tremendous struggle for her and her heart keeps breaking. So Janey seeks work in the town, applying at C.J.'s candy shop.
C.J. has plans; sell the candy shop to save his grandfather's ranch where he wants to make a life with his son. Janey knows she'll never marry, never have more children, so all she want's is to finish her high school credits and do night courses for a business degree. She vows to herself to never have to go on welfare again. They both have their demons from the past that they need to face and finally overcome.
The characters were wonderfully written. I loved how their journeys slowly evolved and merged. Overall, a lovely heartwarming read. I look forward to reading about more about the fictional inhabitants of Ordinary, Montana.
c.j wright has everything planed out get his ranch going,sell the family's candy shop.And fix his relationship with his young son.The only thing he doesn't need is a wife! Janey Sweeter has had a troubled past.But when she starts loving c.j, what will she have to tell him?
Loved this book. Janey was so damaged for reasons not of her own making. Everyone saw her goth exterior and not the real person inside until C.J. Follow along as they both help each other heal and grow.