Series: Bradshaws (Book 3)
Returning to their hometown isn’t something the Bradshaw brothers ever thought they’d do. But a family tragedy has reunited them in Benevolence, Washington -- where second chances, reignited dreams, and real love are never far away...
Texas rancher Flynn Bradshaw has his work cut out for him. His sister-in-law, Sunday, is finally home after the car crash that killed her husband and left her critically injured. But Flynn still has to get her failing ancestral farm up and running while looking after his six nieces and nephews. He prefers wide open spaces and working solo. Yet as he tries to get the grieving Sunday to care about her life again, he’s finding a chance for love that’s closer than he ever expected...
Even before the accident, Sunday struggled to keep the farm afloat as her once-happy marriage crumbled. Now with her body still recovering, she can't seem to get back the hope she once had. But as she reconnects with her children, Flynn’s dedication, love for the land, and caring slowly inspire her to dream again. Is their growing affection enough to help them through unresolved pain -- and risk trying for a future together?
Good story about family and overcoming challenges. Months earlier, Sunday was in an automobile accident that killed her husband and left her fighting for her life. She's now home, but her life was irrevocably changed. While she was in the hospital and rehab, her husband's brothers stepped in to care for the farm and her six children.
I liked Sunday, and I hurt for her. In addition to the physical injuries that she is still recovering from, the traumatic brain injury has destroyed her memories. She can't remember how to do the simplest things, and even new happenings get lost in her brain fog. Most of the time she'd rather sit in her chair and let the world go on around her. But she also wants to reconnect with her children and begin to feel like a mother again. It hurt to see her struggle and how those struggles affected the way she saw herself.
Flynn is the oldest of the brothers and left his Texas ranch to do his part to help the family. He hadn't realized how bad things were until he spent more than a day or two there. It didn't take him very long to uncover the reasons why.
The development of the relationship between Sunday and Flynn was a slow burning one. They were both surprised by the feelings of attraction between them. Flynn tried to ignore them, certain that having feelings for his late brother's wife was wrong. But he couldn't deny the need to help Sunday get back to a normal life. I liked his way of supporting her in her quest, by letting her work through the struggles rather than jumping in to do things for her. The breakfast scene was an excellent example of this. I also liked seeing that he knew when to push her, such as the riding scene. Sunday had a lot of emotional baggage to work through. At the top of the list was her anger at her late husband for the way he neglected the farm, plus his constant cheating on her. She also had to deal with her guilt over her inability to do the things she used to do. The last thing she wanted was to be attracted to that same husband's brother, even though Flynn was everything she could hope for. I didn't see any big "aha" moment for either of them, only the slow realization that they belonged together.
Some of my favorite parts of the book had nothing to do with the romance. I loved Sunday's children and their love and support of their mother. Each of them had their own way of helping. I loved Twila's organizational skills and her use of calendars and spreadsheets to keep Sunday on track. My favorite was Heavenly. Though she had her occasional teenage moments of obnoxiousness, her love for Sunday was never in doubt. I enjoyed the bits of her story and her relationship with Sunday. I laughed out loud at her comment about how, in the Bible, it was a man's duty to marry the widow of his brother and how it freaked out both Flynn and Sunday. There were other little pushes throughout the book, as it appeared that Heavenly clearly saw what was happening. I loved that she had the last word at the end "See, Mom? It's not weird at all."
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