THE RANCHER'S BABY – Maisey Yates
Texas Cattleman's Club: The Imposter , Book 1
Harlequin Desire #2563
ISBN: 978-1-335-97123-4
January 2018
Contemporary Series Romance

Royal, Texas – Present Day

Several people—mostly strangers to each other—gather to mourn the death of Will Sanders. But then the supposedly dead man walks in, as surprised as everyone else…

Like the others, Selena Jacobs thought her one-time husband was dead and is as stunned to find out someone apparently pranked them all. Whose ashes are in the urn? Selena's best friend, Knox McCoy, whisks her away to her house to help her get over her shock. Selena hasn't seen Knox in a while, as he has mostly kept to himself after the death of his beloved daughter from cancer. Selena wants to reach out to him, not only to comfort him, but for love. She's been in love with him for years.

The pain of losing his child was hard on Knox. He's managed to continue to run his company, but it destroyed his marriage to his now ex, Cassandra. Selena being there, and needing him, helps him to temporarily forget. Knox decides to stick around Royal, because there's a possibility that whoever faked Will's death might be targeting the women left behind. As the days meander, it suddenly becomes clear to him that he's now attracted to Selena. Yet, he feels he has nothing to offer her. Will she change his mind?

THE RANCHER'S BABY opens with the funeral scene and Will walking in, but once Knox and Selena leave, this tale is totally about them and their awakening romance. They first met in college and became fast friends, but love never entered the picture. Both Selena and Knox have built solid businesses on their own, though she needed to claim her inheritance from her family early and married Will to do so. Their marriage was never consummated, but Knox isn't aware of this fact. She loved Knox but chose Will because she was afraid a marriage between her and Knox would ruin a great friendship. After her divorce, Knox wasn't free, as by then he'd married and had a child on the way. Sadly, his little girl died…and it's enveloped him in deep grief.

Selena now has the opportunity to attract Knox, but is he paying attention? The last thing she wants to do is lose his friendship, but she is going to have to tread lightly. With the help of a friend, an overnight trail ride is arranged, where things heat up nicely between Selena and Knox. In fact, they finally make love, where Knox learns something about Selena that literally stuns him. Once they make love, it's time to make up for lost time, but maybe they went a little overboard, as they create something special that will appear in about nine months…

THE RANCHER'S BABY is a friends to lovers romance that readers will surely enjoy. Selena and Knox have been there for each other, but can they now find love and happiness together? Will he be able to heal his heart emotionally to give her what she wants? Curl up with the intriguing and engaging THE RANCHER'S BABY and find out the answers.

Patti Fischer