HOME ON THE RANGE—Susan Fox
A Caribou Crossing Romance
Kensington Zebra
ISBN: 978-1420131901
August 2013
Contemporary Romance

Caribou Crossing, British Columbia in Canada – Present Day

At the age of twenty-eight, investment whiz Evan Kincaid has done well for himself, including owning his own firm, and he enjoys living in New York City. He seemingly has it all, with a woman in his life that he sees a future with. The people who know him would be surprised to learn that he was born and raised in Caribou Crossing, and he has no intention of ever returning. But when a wealthy investor asks him to anonymously check in on a potential investment in a riding camp by going to a resort camp—in Caribou Crossing—Evan is caught between a potential financial windfall or revisiting his past. He agrees, hoping that he can avoid the two people he doesn't want to see there—his mother, Brooke, and Jessica, the woman he made youthful, passionate love with on his last night in Caribou Crossing ten years ago…

Jess's mind has always been filled with dreams, but now she has one that she wants to make a reality. It would need financial backing and hard work, but she has started the process and is hopeful the one investor she has in mind will provide funding. As a single mother raising her only child, Robin, she feels grateful for the support of her parents and her ex-husband. Yet Jess can't forget the one person who meant more than anything to her—Evan Kincaid. When they were teenagers, he made it clear he planned to leave town and never look back, but they enjoyed one night together, and it left Jess pregnant with a child she never told him about. Imagine her surprise to find Evan as one of the new guests at the resort ranch where she works. Will she tell him about being Robin's father?

HOME ON THE RANGE is a passionate, emotional tale of a couple whose lives were forever changed by one night together ten years ago. Evan was raised on the wrong side of town and vowed to leave as soon as he could, making plans to attend college on the east coast. His best friend was Jess, who was raised in a loving, supportive family. She was the one person Evan could talk to who would understand his geekiness, which stood out in the horse crazy town of Caribou Crossing. That final night, their friendship crossed the boundaries when they had sex, but the next morning Evan left town. Months later, Jess didn't have the heart to tell him she was pregnant, so she married another man who accepted Robin as if she were his own daughter. While the use of secret babies is sometimes repetitive in stories, the author does a good job of making the reader understand the decision made by Jess.

Evan never felt comfortable around horses or the country life in Caribou, but now he is forced to pretend he does in HOME ON THE RANGE. Yet, under the tutelage of Jess and the others of the Crazy Horse resort, Evan soon takes to riding a horse like someone would a bike. Of course, he has a few missteps along the way. He soon realizes it is Jess he has come to investigate (she had used her initials and married name at the resort) and he battles within himself when he should come clean. Jess battles within her over whether she should tell Evan about Robin, yet to do so may hurt a lot of folks. When she is finally forced to admit the truth—for Robin's sake—it will tug at the reader's heartstrings. Evan even finally meets his mother again…and is surprised at the changes.

Along the way in HOME ON THE RANGE, Evan and Jess rediscover the friendship they once had, and soon it's blooming into more. Yet, Evan's life is in the city and Jess would never leave Caribou Crossing. How can they meet in the middle for a happily-ever-after? Find out the answer for yourself in this captivating tale.

Patti Fischer