It's hard to do romantic suspense well in the confines of the length of a Love Inspired Suspense book. In this case, Leigh and Cole knew each other when younger and had the beginnings of a relationship at that time--until Leigh's mother told Cole he wasn't good enough for her daughter.

It seems in the meantime that Cole has gotten married, had a daughter, and gotten divorced. Leigh's uncle sold his farm to Cole (after stating for years that he'd leave it to Claire and her daughters). One of the reasons for Cole's return is to try to prove that his late father was innocent of the murder for which he was convicted.

Leigh bought the practice of a retiring veterinarian. This vet has a relative who's a vet who has an office nearby--so why wasn't the practice offered to this relative first? It seems the relative wanted the business, and given the terms Leigh gets for the first year--one would think the relative could have gotten the same. (Then again, maybe his financial situation was known and that's why it wasn't feasible.) I have a feeling the author wanted to set up tension to make us wonder if he wasn't the one sabotaging Leigh's office but it was a poor attempt since no explanation was given as to why he hadn't bought the practice outright. ( )