Karen Rose Smith, Custody for Two

Custody for Two

Karen Rose Smith

Silhouette Special Edition, May 2006, $4.99

ISBN: 0-373-24753-2

Dylan Malloy rushed home to Wild Horse Junction, Wyoming from Tasmania, immediately following his lawyer's call that his sister Julia and her husband Will died in an accident, but his sibling hung on long enough to give birth. He is an uncle to a preemie fighting for his life, but to his further shock he is not the child's guardian. Instead Julia's best friend Shaye Bartholomew is. Dylan's attorney explained to the globetrotting wildlife photographer that his sister loved him, but did not want to burden him again, as he delayed his dream for eight years when their parents died on a slippery road several years ago.

Dylan can see how much Shaye already loves tiny Timmy, and that his work would have to become domestic rather than international, but he feels he needs to be there for his nephew. As they both want the best for Timmy and begin to fall in love with one another, Dylan fears losing another loved one, so denies how much he cares for Shaye. Instead he offers her a marriage of convenience, but Shaye wants much more from the man she loves.

The first Baby Bonds series plays out on two levels. The romance between a man afraid of love, as everyone he has cared for has died, and a woman who refuses to settle for anything less than his love; that well written subplot is a common theme. The other tale evolves around Timmy fighting to survive, which moves the hearts of the audience praying for the courageous baby as his chances remain iffy. Merged into a cohesive family drama, Karen Rose Smith opens her newest series with a terrific tale of prayers, hope and love.