Good book. The story opens as Soledad prepares to help her best friend escape her abusive husband. Just when they think they've gotten away, Gavin appears behind Soledad's car and starts shooting, then rams the car with his SUV. Annie makes Soledad promise to take care of baby Lyra and keep her safe from Gavin if something happens to her - a prophetic request, as Annie dies of a gunshot wound. Desperate to escape, Soledad takes Lyra and runs into the woods, eventually hiding in a barn.

Palmer Colton is one of the few Grave Gulch Coltons not involved in law enforcement. He owns an 800-acre ranch where he raises cattle, sheep, and chickens. When he heads to the barn to check on a sick horse, he finds Soledad and Lyra and barely gets her story before Gavin shows up. Gavin pretends to be a cop with the GGPD, immediately making Palmer suspicious. I loved Palmer's immediate protectiveness and determination to keep the two safe.

I loved watching Palmer jump right into caring for Soledad and Lyra, something highly unusual for him. Palmer cherishes his solitude and rarely has anyone other than family in his home. After listening to Soledad's story and reasons for avoiding the police, he insists that he is their best option for staying safe.

I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Palmer and Soledad. Her sister is engaged to his cousin (Colton Bullseye), and Palmer has had a crush on Soledad for months. However, he is more than a little shy and never got up the courage to ask her out. Soledad noticed his interest at the engagement party and is equally interested in him. The main drawback for Palmer is that he has no intention of ever marrying or having kids, and he overheard Soledad talking about both.

I loved how Palmer did everything he could to make Soledad and Lyra comfortable in his home. The shopping scene was hilarious as he bought everything a baby could need while feeling entirely out of his element. Matters got a little tricky when he ran into his brother, Detective Troy Colton, while doing it and had to do some fast talking about who it was for. For a man who claims no interest in a family of his own, Palmer is fantastic with little Lyra. There are some awesomely sweet scenes between the two of them. The longer Soledad and Lyra remain in his home, the more Palmer starts to rethink his views on family.

Soledad could see herself falling for Palmer despite his views on a family of his own. With every day she stayed there, she lost a little more of her heart to him. She couldn't understand his resistance to a family since she could see how much he already cared for Lyra. While their feelings for each other grew, so did the sparks of attraction. Though she knew it could lead to a broken heart, Soledad couldn't resist giving in to the heat that burned between them. I liked watching each of them come to terms with their feelings and open up to each other about them. I felt terrible for Palmer when his date-night plans were so rudely interrupted, but he made up for it in the end.

The suspense of the story was good. It began with intensity as Soledad tried to rescue her friend Annie and then ran for her life to protect herself and Lyra. There were a couple of more intense moments early on as Gavin tried to get to Soledad. Then it became a waiting game as Gavin disappeared and the GGPD searched for him. There was a constant feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop, wondering if he would show up at the ranch again. The final confrontation was a nail-biter as Soledad struggled to get Lyra to safety, and Palmer raced to be in time to save them.

One of my favorite characters was Palmer's dog, Jack. From the very beginning, he appointed himself Lyra's bodyguard and best friend. I can't count the number of times the two of them made me laugh at their antics. Jack also played a part in bringing down the bad guy at the end.

I also liked how the Coltons continue to support each other through everything that happens. Palmer doesn't fool anyone when he denies that Soledad and Lyra are with him, but they go along with it because she should be safe with him. I ached for Chief Melissa Colton, who has to deal with the fallout from the tampered evidence scandal, and for the rest of the GGPD, who work to regain the town's trust. I can feel everyone's frustration as both the escaped serial killer and the corrupt CSI chief remain at large.

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