A BABY FOR THE DEPUTY – Cathy McDavid
Mustang Valley , Book 9
Harlequin Western Romance #1633
ISBN: 978-0-757497
March 2017
Contemporary Western Romance

Mustang Valley, Arizona – Present Day

Veterinarian Melody Hartman and Deputy Sheriff Aaron Travers have carried on a secret love affair for eight months. But their lives are about to change when Mel discovers she's pregnant. While for most couples this issue wouldn't be a problem, for them it's the thing that throws their lives into turmoil. Aaron lost his wife to a brain tumor three years ago, leaving him to raise their three-year-old daughter with help from his mother-in-law, who lives with them. Aaron isn't sure he's in love with Mel, though he can't stay away from her. She quickly lets him know that they can remain friends only and raise their child jointly. Now they face the task of telling their respective family members.

Right after Mel learns she's pregnant, a young woman barges into a birthday party being thrown for Ray, Mel's father, informing them she is his daughter and demands money from him. Ray had never told his daughters, Mel, Frankie and Ronnie, that he'd had a brief affair after he lost their mother and this girl, Samantha, is the result. Meanwhile, Aaron is trying to find some horse rustlers and is frustrated by the dead ends. He has a lot on his mind, with Mel's pregnancy weighing the heaviest.  He wants to marry Mel for the baby's sake, but does he love her? That he is not sure about.

There are plenty of things going on in A BABY FOR THE DEPUTY, but readers can be assured that most everything will be neatly tied up by the end. Mel and Aaron were content having their secret affair and enjoying one another. Aaron didn't want to disrupt his daughter's life by introducing a woman into their lives, and Mel respects this, though she wishes they could go out on real dates, rather than meet in motels. Mel is dedicated to her job as Mustang Valley's only vet, so getting pregnant wasn't in her plans. She marvels at the new life growing inside her, but fears how Aaron will take the news. Whatever the case, she won't marry him just to give the baby a name. She wants love.

Aaron's mother-in-law at times is too needy in wanting to make sure he doesn't start dating “too soon” even though he's been a widower for three years. He's respectful of his mother-in-law and appreciates her help, but he needs to live his own life. Aaron is also busy trying to find and arrest the horse thieves, but with Maricopa County being large, it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Will he find the culprits? While A BABY FOR THE DEPUTY is part of the longstanding Mustang Valley series, it can be read as a standalone with no difficulty.

Lives are about to change for several people in A BABY FOR THE DEPUTY, but at the heart of the story is what happens when an unplanned pregnancy changes everything for Mel and Aaron. Will they realize that they're in love and want to be together…and not just because of the baby? A heartwarming tale, pick up a copy of A BABY FOR THE DEPUTY today.

Patti Fischer