A good mix of suspense and second chance romance. Four years after breaking up, Everett and Alyssa were brought together when they became co-guardians of a baby girl. Everett believes that her parents' deaths were suspicious, and threats against baby Kennedy soon prove him right.

I enjoyed the rekindling of the relationship between Everett and Alyssa. As it turned out, neither got over their breakup, with subsequent attempts at relationships never measuring up to the memories of what they had. Neither was blameless in the breakup, with events from the past affecting their relationship. Alyssa lost her father when he was stabbed to death. Her fear of Everett getting hurt in his job as an FBI agent exacerbated her fear of losing someone she loved. At the same time, Everett is wracked with guilt over something that happened in his previous job, and he keeps tight control over his emotions because of it. Thrown together to raise baby Kennedy, I loved seeing them adjust to being instant parents while at the same time trying to figure out their own relationship.

I liked both Everett and Alyssa. Alyssa won my heart when she immediately accepted the responsibility of raising Kennedy. She's understandably nervous about being with Everett but will do whatever necessary for the baby. Everett also got points when he stepped up in spite of his doubts. I loved seeing how their care for Kennedy brought them together. An added four years of experience and maturity helped move their relationship along. I especially liked seeing Alyssa's attitude toward Everett's job change as she experienced his protectiveness toward her and Kennedy. Everett was a slightly harder nut to crack, but it wasn't long before his control over his emotions began to slip. I ached for him when he finally opened up to Alyssa about what had caused his withdrawal and loved her support of him. I liked the sparks that flew between them, the feeling of family that both felt immediately, and how they combined to show them that they belonged together.

The suspense of the story was terrific. We first met Sean and Delilah Dodd, and his sister Claudia, in Caught in the Crossfire, where they were caught and arrested for cattle rustling and murder. This book begins with the deaths of Sean and Delilah and Everett's suspicions about it. While Sean and Delilah earned their arrest in the previous book, this book showed that there were at least a few redeeming qualities about them. These traits added to Everett's questions and motivated his investigation. Things became more complicated when he and Alyssa began receiving threats against Kennedy's life and attempts on theirs. There was a steady increase in the tension with each threat or attack and Everett's determination to put an end to them. Suspicion as to who was behind them came quickly, but the problem was finding the evidence. The final confrontation was intense. Everett and Alyssa's cool heads kept me on the edge of my seat as I waited to see how they were going to handle it. I loved Everett's quick thinking and how it all turned out. ( )