Often the quietest people… Josie Nightingale has always been the odd girl out. While her sisters swoon over guys, she’s busy trying to change the world! Which isn’t easy with Eric “Scooter” Wilson watching her every move. …have the biggest secrets! She may be out of his league, but the day Scooter rescued Josie from jail and discovered her secret, he vowed he’d do anything to protect … secret, he vowed he’d do anything to protect her. And if keeping Josie safe means not letting this stubborn dame out of his sight–then so be it!
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Good book, and a time period that isn’t visited very often in romance novels. Josie wants more out of life than working at her father’s resort and being one of the local “princesses.” When given the opportunity, she jumped at the chance to sneak off to nearby Duluth and attempt to help the prostitutes working the docks. Those missions become much more difficult after she has to call on her friend Scooter Wilson to bail her out of jail. Suddenly, Scooter won’t let her out of his sight.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Scooter and Josie. They’ve been friends since they were children, and Josie has always been more comfortable with him than any of the other guys she knows. So when she needed help, he was the one she called. She didn’t expect him to get that mad when he found out what she was doing. She wasn’t at all happy when he threatened to tell her father what she was doing. Plus, every time she turned around, Scooter was right there, making it impossible for her to sneak away. Josie is very stubborn, and nothing that Scooter can say to her will stop her from doing what she thinks is right. Scooter has been friends with Josie for a long time, but deep down he wants more. Unfortunately, she’s the daughter of the richest man around, and he’s simply the owner of one little gas station and car repair business. Once he finds out what Josie is up to, he is determined to keep her safe. However, he didn’t realize just how hazardous it would be – to his heart.
I loved the interactions between Josie and Scooter. Josie’s stubbornness tends to find its voice in sarcasm and snark. But try as she might, she can’t shake him loose. I loved how well Scooter knew and understood Josie, and it was fun to see him thwart almost every attempt she made to sneak away. The night of the Fourth of July celebration was fun to see. It was also the first time that Josie looked at Scooter as more than just a friend. That first kiss they shared was pretty steamy, and quite a surprise to her. There were times that Scooter’s protectiveness was a little heavy-handed, but I think a large part of that was his frustration with her. I ached a bit for Scooter because of his certainty that he wasn’t good enough for her. I liked how Josie started to realize that she’d cared for Scooter for a long time. Once she did, there was no holding her back. I loved the ending as she demolished each of his obstacles to their future together.
The premise of Josie’s mission was intense and had its dark moments. She got involved when a friend of hers was kidnapped by a prostitution ring, and she became part of the group that rescued her. After seeing the plight of the women forced into that lifestyle, Josie had to help. I was impressed with her creativity in disguises, and her quick thinking when in trouble. But she also didn’t seem to realize just how much danger she was in until Fourth of July night and Scooter’s pretty blunt explanations. Even then, her stubbornness led her into danger that she almost didn’t get out of. There were some very intense moments as Scooter came to her rescue. There were some interesting twists and turns provided by Scooter and a new friend of his, and I had to laugh at Josie’s frustration with it all. The final resolution was quite satisfying, with an excellent scene involving Scooter, Josie, and her father.