Bethany Campbell, Home to Texas

Home to Texas

Bethany Campbell

Harlequin SuperRomance, Jan 2004, $5.25, 299 pp.

ISBN: 0373711816

Following the divorce, Tara Hastings sells her ranch knowing that she and her son Del will have to flee the Santa Clarita area because of her powerful disruptive father-in-law Burleigh who is making demands involving her boy. Tara expects little from her ex though he owes child support and it would be nice if Sis visited Del, but the immediate problem is Burleigh. Her brother persuades Tara to move to a spread they bought near Crystal Creek where Burleigh's influence would be minimal at best. She agrees.

Grady McKinney was born in Crystal Creek, but feels the road is his home. However, an injury has sent him to the last place he wants to be: his family home. While Tara works on turning the former dude ranch into a thriving equestrian school, Grady helps her. They fall in love and her son worships him, but Grady cannot commit to staying in one place though the temptation is great and Tara still tastes the bitter herbs of her last marriage.

Though the relationship between Grady and Tara seems too soon as she recovers from the nastiness of her divorce, fans will appreciate this Texas romance between a commitment phobia rover and a scarred marital victim. The story line is typical of the Crystal creek tales as the lead couple seems an unlikely matches yet love ties them together. Del is a delightful child, perhaps a bit too precocious, but the audience will want to hug him as he turns to Grady for fatherly attention. HOME TO TEXAS is a delightful romantic soup with several tasty ingredients making for a fine entry that mini-series fans will appreciate.

Harriet Klausner