Professional saddle bronc rider Jace Rice has a habit of falling in love with women who turn around and fall in love with someone else. It had happened three times, and as much as he vowed to never let it happen again, it does. Although this time, the woman is in love with a guy Jace can’t possibly compete with—a dead man.Comforting sad-eyed widow, Bree Fox, leaves Jace Rice with plenty of … with plenty of gaping wounds himself, and a pent up desire to get to know more about her, other than how much she loved her late husband. But he knows Bree is not ready for that, so he waits…and waits. When she never contacts him again, he takes that as a sign, but that sign doesn’t stop him from thinking about her, from wondering what could be if he just confronted her with how he felt.
The problem was confronting her would be almost impossible, since her sister was married to his brother, who hated him, and they all lived together in Crested Butte, where he wasn’t welcome. Going there would be like walking into a hornet’s nest where he would likely be stung.
Jace had been stung before, though, so many times he should be immune. And he wasn’t a coward–otherwise he wouldn’t be the fierce competitor he was in the rodeo arena. He knew he had what it took to go to Crested Butte and pound things out with his twin brother, if necessary. It wasn’t like it was the first time they’d come to blows. What he didn’t know was whether it would be worth it in the end.
Could Bree Fox ever feel about him the way she felt about her former husband? Or would she forever be just another woman Jace was rejected by when the dust settled?
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“Stay With Me” (Cowboys of Crested Butte Series Book Four) by Heather Slade is a great read. I enjoyed Jace and Bree’s story. This is a great addition to the Crested Butte Series. This story has emotion, romance, passion, hot cowboys, close family and friends, and more. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next in this series. Highly recommend to all fans of romance, cowboys, and series.
I almost feel sorry for Jace Rice, he seems to fall for women who are in love with someone else. It started in the second book of this series with Renie, then continued on the same path with Blythe who is now married to his twin Tucker. Tucker hates him now and he has no idea how to make amends. Then there’s Bree, still mourning her husband but not even close to being ready for a relationship.
Jace needing to be far away and wanting something more than Bronc riding, got a tip to invest in a rough stock ranch. It turned out the family wanted to sell that part of the business in Montana. Now Jace and his parents own that ranch and the business and hope to merge it with the businesses in Crested Butte.
Bree is leaving Monument for a while, she needs to grieve for her husband. With everything going on she hasn’t allowed herself to think about him, although the nightmares bring it back, time and again. She’s going to go stay where she has the best memories of Zack. Then there’s the feelings Jace awakened in her. She not ready to move into another relationship or with her life right now and that needs to change.
Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch is Bree’s destination, there she meets Red Dugan, who brings to her mind a grandfather figure. One who knows the best places for her to fish. Her nightmares still dog her but the days are filled with things she loved to do with her late husband.
In a rather sneaky move, Jace’s parents have him traveling to Idaho to see a man named Red about a bull he’s selling. When he arrives he’s told Red is away and they give him the cabin adjoined to the one Bree is staying in.
While waiting enjoying the surroundings he decides to take a ride around the nearby lake. It’s here he sees Bree with Red. The ensuing conversation reveals there’s no bull for sale and that his parents and possibly Bree’s had set this all up.
Red invites Jace to join them for dinner and left them to talk.
Jace and Bree spend much time together it almost seems perfect except for the fact Zack is still between them. Jace can’t compete with a memory.
Jace and Bree are definitely meant for one another and it’s almost heartbreaking to watch the ups and downs in this book. There’s also Jace’s relationship with his brother that needs to be resolved. Both Jace and Bree need the connection to that part of the family and to be part of baby Cochran’s life.
Plenty of tears, laughter, surprises and that sizzling connection between Jace and Bree.
I really enjoyed the previous books in this series, and have been eagerly awaiting Bree’s story. This was absolutely divine. Beautifully written, so heartfelt, and powerfully romantic — an absolute must-read! The story does stand alone but believe me, you should read the previous books in the series as every single one is fantastic.
ARC for honest review with no compensation from Booksprout
Stay with Me is book 4 in the Cowboys of Crested Butte series by Heather Slade and as always she gets you right from the start and keeps you there til the very last page.
Jace Rice who has been looking for HEA but seems to pick the wrong women and they find their “right man” now he wonders if he will ever find the “right woman”…that is…until Bree Fox shows up. She is the sister to Blythe (one of the wrong women but who married her “right man” his twin brother, Tucker). The two brothers have a lot of tension between them because of something that happened when they were teenagers and the fact that he was attracted to Blythe. When Jace sees Bree again something tells him that she could be the one?? Is the third time the charm?
Bree Fox has had her HEA but was taken from her in death and while things looked cozy on the surface between her and her late husband not all is as it seems. She has nightmares and can’t seem to move past her grief and let hope back into her life but she feels something for Jace but continues to push it away.
Can Jace and Bree begin their journeys to find peace, healing and happiness separately? Will they find their way back to each other and to an all-consuming HEA or will the past just always stay in the present??
Jace and Bree’s story is another one of those books that will draw you in and captivate you. I kept wanting to hug both Jace and Bree and cheer them on, or yell at them and give them a stern talking to, but needless to say it’s an easy story to get lost in. Their journey to finding love isn’t an easy one, they have so many things they have to get past, both Bree’s struggle to move past losing her husband and the fact that Jace has been so unlucky in the love department are just the tip of the iceberg. It was a real bonus for me and I loved getting a glimpse of all of the characters we have met in this series and the way they all interact in this book.