A Ranger for Christmas

Terrific book about two people scarred by their pasts. Vivian is a park ranger whose partner is out of commission due to a broken leg. Even though she felt confident in her ability to work alone, she was assigned a temporary partner. Sawyer Whitehorse is not what she expected. He is young, incredibly handsome, and an inveterate flirt.

I liked both Vivian and Sawyer. Though she is a member of a wealthy family, Vivian works for a living at a job she loves. She is close to her family and their land. She is also the single mother of a twelve-year-old daughter, from a brief but disastrous marriage. She still holds herself responsible for her bad choices and refuses to let herself go down that path again. However, there is still a part of her that dreams of a man who loves her. Sawyer loves his work as a ranger and is working toward his degree in wildlife ecology. He lives on the reservation with his grandmother, whom he adores. He decided long ago that he was not cut out to be a husband or father, thanks to the bad examples set by his parents, and instead has developed quite the reputation as a ladies’ man.

I loved the development of the relationship between Vivian and Sawyer. Sparks were flying between them from the moment they met. Sawyer’s first reaction was that he wanted to find a way to sleep with her. Meanwhile, Vivian was shaken by her physical reaction to Sawyer, something she hadn’t experienced in a very long time. It was fun to see Sawyer put his best flirtatious foot forward and Vivian shoot him down every time. Sawyer wasn’t discouraged, though, and kept going back for more. I also enjoyed how his cheerful persistence started to wear Vivian down a little, to the point where she was amused rather than annoyed. Those sparks between them continued to build. Vivian tried hard to resist them, looking at the downsides of letting anything happen. First, they were coworkers, making a relationship against the rules. Second, Sawyer was six years younger than Vivian, something she wasn’t exactly comfortable with. Then there was his reputation, showing that he is not interested in anything permanent, and she isn’t a fling kind of person. Sawyer rapidly found himself in a situation he didn’t know how to deal with. He had started out simply wanting to seduce Vivian, but the more he got to know her, the more those feelings changed. I ached for him as part of him dreamed of what could be, and the other part was certain that it was impossible. He also had to deal with some insecurity because of the difference in their circumstances.

It warmed my heart to see Sawyer and Vivian together, whether they were working or not. There were some terrific scenes of them with Vivian’s daughter Hannah, who thought that Sawyer was wonderful. He was fantastic with Hannah, and it was obvious that he would be a great dad if only he could believe in himself. I loved how well he fit in with her family, much to his surprise. Which made it all the more heart-wrenching when he let his fears get the best of him. I cried for Vivian as her fears reared up to further break her heart. It was quite satisfying to see that Sawyer was deservedly miserable, and I loved seeing his friend Zane read him the riot act. I liked seeing both Sawyer and Vivian come to their senses, with a little bit of outside help. His big moment was pretty sweet as he confessed those fears and let go of them. The epilogue was great, especially how it showed Vivian’s insight into her husband.