To Protect Their Child (Harlequin Intrigue 608)

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Summary: Time Heals All Wounds
Review: Ric Buchanan meets his old friend Bobby Greene in the bar because Bobby wants to see him about something important. Ric has just returned home from being medically discharged from the Army after being hurt from a land mind. So his friend is shocked to see him barely walking on cruches.

Bobby wants to apologize to Ric for betraying him years earlier when he left town, it seems he had married his girlfriend, who was pregnant with Ric's child, and let everyone, including Ric believe the little girl was his. Ric got mad and wouldn't listen to what he wanted to tell him about something shabby going on in town. That night Bobby is murdered and his father-in-law dies of a heart attack at the scene. The sheriff, who is the brother-in-law of the father-in-law, rules it an accidental shooting, and that the heart attack happened when he was trying to save Bobby's life.

Elaine Greene, Bobby's wife, while washing some clothes finds a note in Bobbty's pants to make her wonder if it was an accident or not. So she, Ric and Tate Raleigh who is part owner of the bar and part time deputy try to unravel this mystery.

This is a good book and keeps you interested all the through. I would recommend it, and am looking forward to next months book about Tate.

Rating:
Summary: My romrevtoday.com review
Review: The first book in the McClintock Country series is a grand view of small town life and the skeletons that can be found in every closet. The cast for this new series is introduced, and you get to peek inside some very unpleasant business dealings.

Elaine Greene's world is shattered when her husband, Bobby, is murdered. Her father's body is found nearby, the victim of a massive heart attack. Faced with the arduous task of picking up the pieces, Elaine needs to move on for her daughter's sake. Especially now that her true love, Ric has returned. She guards a secret that she is not ready to reveal.

Ric Buchanan left McClintock in search of a better life. He returns from the military having endured career ending injuries that almost left him crippled. Upon his return, Ric is reunited with his best friend, Bobby Greene, and a secret is revealed that shatters his world. After Bobby is murdered and the sheriff calls it an accident, Ric is determined to help Elaine discover the truth about her husband and father.

Introductions to the different townspeople overshadow the relationship between Ric and Elaine for the first few chapters. Once you have the characters and their relationship to the hero and heroine figured out (there is a Cast Of Characters page that was extremely helpful), the story picks up in intensity and the focus turns to just Ric, Elaine and her daughter. Chemistry between them heats up quickly and held my interest to the very end.

The mystery is tough to figure out! Enough suspects come into play to keep you guessing. While Ric and Elaine struggle to find and decipher the clues, the attraction to each other sizzles! Wrapped all together, TO PROTECT THEIR CHILD is a fun story to read and a wonderful start to a new series.