Gunfire on the Ranch

This book started with a bang and kept up the tension all the way to the end. Ivy has returned to Blue River for her brother Gabriel’s wedding (Always a Lawman). She hasn’t been back to the ranch in ten years, ever since her parents were murdered by her boyfriend’s father. Obviously, that put an end to their relationship. Theo also hasn’t been back to Blue River since then. He left town and went into law enforcement, becoming a DEA agent. He’s come back to warn Ivy that someone is planning to kill her that night.

The scene at the ranch was intense as the shooter showed up practically on Theo’s heels. There was barely enough time to fill in Ivy and Gabriel about the threat that had brought him there. There was added tension because of the history between Theo and Ivy, and the unexpected and unwelcome punch of attraction that both of them felt. Theo then got the shock of his life when he met Ivy’s son – and it was like looking in a mirror.

I had some issues with Ivy at this point. Yes, she hadn’t been able been able to find Theo to tell him. But she hadn’t told anybody. She hadn’t even told her own brothers that she had a child, or asked them (both are law enforcement) to try to find Theo after her husband died. Then she makes the ridiculous comment to Theo that she doesn’t expect anything from him. At least she finally realized that she would have to deal with having Theo back in her life.

I liked Theo. He’d been a bit of a bad boy as a teen, which put him at odds with Ivy’s sheriff father. But murder would never have occurred to him, so being suspected of it was a blow, especially when Ivy didn’t stand up for him. But in spite of their turbulent past, Theo was determined to protect Ivy from the danger. I also thought he handled the news of his fatherhood pretty well. He was understandably angry, but he also knew that the fault wasn’t entirely hers. I liked his determination to be part of Nathan’s life.

The rekindling of the relationship between Theo and Ivy happened very quickly. There was no doubt about the attraction that still burned between them, but there were obstacles that needed to be overcome. First was the fact of the murders of her parents by his father. That’s not an easy thing to get over. There are some trust issues that also need to be handled, but they do a pretty good job of actually talking to each other about their problems. The biggest obstacle is trying to find out who wants Ivy dead and why. I liked Theo’s protectiveness toward Ivy, and his happiness at the being a father. I was a little disappointed in Ivy’s tendency to fall apart so easily. I would have liked to see a bit more steel in her spine. The attraction between them was strong, but I was a bit surprised to see them giving in to it when they did – it was not a good time for that kind of distraction. I liked their big moment at the end, with a good solution for their future.

The suspense of the story is complicated and convoluted. My biggest question at the beginning was why was some San Antonio CI contacting a DEA agent (Theo’s partner, Wesley) about the hit out on Ivy? This was complicated by the fact that Theo is investigating Wesley because of something that happened during Theo’s last case. Something isn’t sitting right with Theo, but how could that have anything to do with Ivy? Another possible suspect is Ivy’s adult stepdaughter. Lacey is furious with Ivy because Ivy and Nathan inherited the bulk of the family estate, and Lacey believes that she was the only one who should have gotten anything. There are several things that make her a likely suspect, but are they real or is she being set up? Then there is Theo’s uncle August. He has been insisting that Theo’s dad is not guilty of the murders and that the Becketts railroaded the case through the courts. He has plenty of motivation to cause harm to the Beckett family. The constant and escalating attacks on Ivy and Theo had me glued to the pages as I waited to see what would happen. Ivy’s determination to draw out the attacker drove both Theo and Gabriel crazy as they just wanted to keep her safe. The final confrontation was intense as it seemed that every precaution that they had taken was overcome by the bad guy. I wasn’t too surprised at who the bad guy turned out to be, but there was an unexpected twist to the details. The overarching story of Theo’s dad’s guilt is still going on, and I’m looking forward to finding out the truth.