The Cowboy and the Kid

The Tanner Brothers, Book 4

by Anne McAllister

Having a father is a big responsibility.

And finding him a wife is a challenge eight-year-old Becky Jones takes seriously. Ex-rodeo cowboy Taggart Jones is adamant. No marriage. Been there. Done that.

Not even if Becky’s dream candidate is her beautiful, blonde teacher, Felicity Albright, who knows about barrettes, patching up scrapes, and hates carrots as much as his daughter. Taggart’s still not interested. Much.

What’s a daughter to do? Becky’s nothing if not ingenious, and she’s determined to convince a stubborn Taggart and a bemused Felicity that they really have met their match.

I get the little girl as a cute driver for these two getting together – she’s adorable and having grown up with an unusual childhood it’s easy to see why she turned into a little bundle of awesomeness.   But in her overzealous campaign to get a mom, she might be a little too adorable for some 🙂

Taggart definitely needs that push because after his disastrous marriage he’s not getting involved again … then he meets his daughter’s new teacher.  Running scared doesn’t stop his hormones from making themselves known but he’s not going to give in.  Nope, definitely not!

I understand his reasons for avoiding commitment but I kinda wish there’d been just a little more about how his first wife had treated him to get the depth of those scars.  He’s not the first to fail at a relationship and, while I felt a little of his pain, a little more of his first wife might have made it more traumatic.  Worthy of his dedication to staying single.

I still enjoyed these two together.  Even though Taggart is your typical commitment-phobe, he’s a very caring father and a good teacher.  Felicity is also a good teacher and dedicated to reaching all her kids.  She’s got a sense of humor and fun, which she’ll need going up against Taggart’s fear 🙂  It’s not going to be easy because you know he’s going to screw things up.  But with patience, perseverance, understanding and forgiveness, they might be able to figure it out.

(This is the first in the series that I’ve read but can easily stand on its own.)