Series: McCall Adventure Ranch (Book 2)
Stranded with the cowboy
While out on the range, cowboy Josh McCall finds himself the victim of vicious sabotage. Now he’s stuck in the wilderness with no one but city slicker Kate Carrington. The rough-and-tumble rancher must use all his skills to survive, his willpower to protect Kate and his determination to resist their mutual attraction. Until Josh makes one fateful decision that could jeopardize their bliss…and their lives.
This was a good continuation of the mystery of why the McCall ranch is being targeted as well as the romance between Josh and Kate. This book picks up a few months after Rancher's Deadly Reunion. The McCalls and Brady have been working hard to get their high adventure business ready to go. They invited reporters from various travel and adventure magazines to participate in an adventure weekend. The participants included Kate, a photographer for a travel magazine. Kate was there reluctantly, as a childhood trauma caused her to be afraid to take risks.
There were sparks between Josh and Kate from the moment they met, but both tried to ignore them. Josh wanted to concentrate on the business, plus siblings Zane and Piper reminded him that getting involved with guests was a bad idea. Kate just wants to get through the weekend and being distracted by a good-looking cowboy was not part of her plan. She did not take into account her friend's determination to see Kate get over her fears. Behind her back, Dawn told Josh that Kate needed his help to move past her fears. This gave Josh an additional reason to ignore that part of him that told him to keep his distance.
The adventure trip started with high hopes and enthusiasm from everyone (except Kate). I liked how Josh paid extra attention to Kate on the trail ride. Things took a turn for the worse when the group reached their first adventure point, the zip line. When Josh went first, he discovered that the line had been sabotaged, making it unsafe for the group to use. Unfortunately, thanks to a garbled transmission on the radio, warning Zane not to send anyone down, Kate was on the way before the danger was known. I ached for Kate and her very real fears as she rode the zip line down, unaware of what waited for her at the end. The intensity of this part had me on the edge of my seat as I wondered how it would turn out. I loved how calm and cool-headed Josh was, and also how well Kate handled the emergency.
This is where it got a bit tricky for Josh. Zane wanted to end the trip then and there, but Josh was determined to carry on. First, because he refused to give up on the dream, and wanted to show that it was possible. Second, he was afraid that if they stopped, Kate's fears would still have control of her life. He wanted to show her that she could have the adventures she wanted. He wasn't exactly honest with her about their options, but he was confident that he was doing the right thing. Kate was reluctant at first, but the longer she was with Josh, the more her confidence grew. I loved the scene with her and the bear! I liked how their growing closeness enabled them to share their fears and troubles. Josh's understanding about the root of her fears went a long way toward helping Kate face them. The attraction between them also continued to grow. The scene at the river was pretty intense and also created a bigger problem for them. I liked seeing the feelings between them intensify, though each of them still held back a little. Josh's focus on the business still kept him from believing that a relationship was possible, and Kate wasn't sure she wanted to give up her city life. When she overheard something that made her believe that Josh had played her, she was hurt, angry, and determined to leave. It took some blunt advice for him to see that if he wanted the girl, he was going to have to take some risks of his own. I liked his big moment and seeing him expose his vulnerability.
The suspense of the story was good. The ranch was still in trouble financially, and the family has accepted that their problems are not bad luck after all. Unfortunately, there has been no progress in figuring out who has it in for them. When the zip line was sabotaged, it was clear that whoever it is has grown more desperate and is willing to take more risks to get what they want. I understood both Zane's and Josh's points of view on the right actions to take. Zane worried about liability and Josh about the death of their dream. I liked seeing Kate get invested in proving Josh right, and how she wanted to help. The damage to the river equipment was another blow, and I ached for Josh and his frustration. There was more trouble unrelated to the sabotage that put Kate and Josh into extreme danger, and I was glued to the pages until they were safe. The frustration of the family was evident as there were no clear suspects. It didn't help that local law enforcement was suspicious and uncooperative. I can't wait for the conclusion in the next book.
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