LOVE ME TENDER – Susan Fox
A Caribou Crossing Romance
Zebra
ISBN: 978-1-420-13576-3
December 2014
Contemporary Romance

Caribou Crossing, British Columbia – Present Day

Free spirit Cassidy Esperanza lands in Caribou Crossing and decides to stick around after Wild Rose Inn owner Dave Cousins offers her a job. It's well known in town that Dave still mourns his late fiancée after her death from cancer a few years ago, but an instant spark between him and Cassidy has them interested in each other. But Cassidy makes it clear that she doesn't plan to stay in town, so a fling is all she's after. For Dave, that's perfectly okay, because he's not looking for any commitment right now.

Yet, the more Dave and Cassidy get “into each other” the harder it is to deny their attraction isn't deep. After watching her parents' boomerang relationship, she's afraid to get involved long term for fear of heartbreak. When Cassidy begins to have health issues, she tries to ignore them, but Dave insists she find out what's wrong. What she learns has Cassidy running away – from Dave and Caribou Crossing. Can Dave find her—and win back the woman he's fallen in love with?

Susan Fox takes readers on an emotional journey in LOVE ME TENDER with Dave Cousins, a character who has appeared in several of the stories in the Caribou Crossing series. Dave is an honorable and loyal man who married a woman to give another man's baby his name, then fell in love with another woman only to see her die from cancer. With Cassidy's sudden illness forcing him to rethink about a future with her, he has to go deep within himself and wonders if he should help her fight the battle. He has to think about how it could affect his daughter—and his own emotions. Yet Cassidy has also forced Dave to think about possibly sharing a future together.

Cassidy's parents married young and fought incessantly, causing upheaval in her life. She left home as soon as she could and has very few possessions as she's always on the move. But she enjoys Caribou Crossing, especially Dave, and for once in her life she settles down “for just a little while.” Their relationship soon turns sexual, but the news that she has a health issue has her not only denying the “problem” but fleeing town without a goodbye. . Cassidy also grows close to her landlady, which for a loner is something new for her. One can understand Cassidy's fear of what the future will bring, but could it prove to be a deadly decision? Should Dave once again take on someone who might have a disease?

Readers who have enjoyed the Caribou Crossing series will catch up with Jessie, Evan, Brooke and others while reading LOVE ME TENDER. After all, Dave has been in the background as the good guy Dave. Now he gets to have his tale told, and it's one that I recommend as his tender touch is just what Cassidy needs after the tough blow she's been dealt. The instant spark between them heats up as they get to know one another, yet both feel—at first—that there's no way they'd think of any commitment. Slowly and surely Cassidy and Dave begin to care deeply for each other, but it will take letting go of the past before they can begin to have a chance for a future.

Grab a hankie and fall in love with Susan Fox's LOVE ME TENDER as Cassidy and Dave walk an emotional journey to their happily-ever-after.

Patti Fischer