All his life Tate McCullom has been taught to be responsible, and he is the very model of what a respectable man should be. Until the night he gets drunk and sleeps with a woman he barely knows.
Now, six weeks later, she's pregnant, alone, and broke. Once again, Tate must take responsibility for his actions, and makes plans to marry his child's mother. There's only one problem...he has to tell his fiancée.
Abby Grayson hasn't had an easy life. As the daughter of the town whore, people either avoid her or think she's like her mother. For Abby, it's a struggle just to fill her belly and keep a roof over her head.
Loneliness and a secret yearning for this man she thought she'd never have led her to spend the night with Tate. But the last thing she needs is a baby when she can barely take care of herself. Desperate, but too proud to ask for help, she finally agrees to accept a job from Tate - the job of being his wife. Now she has almost everything she's ever dreamed of.
Unfortunately, only one thing will gain her Tate's love - his realization that the night he spent with her was no drunken accident. It was a last-ditch attempt to win the woman he really wanted.
4.5 Stars
“Sometimes I want to forget about all the responsibility and do things just for me. Do it because I want it, not because it’s what I need to do.” ~ Tate
When I was browsing last night for my next read, I came across this and said, “meh! Why not?” The blurb sounded good, and I loved Katherine Allred’s Sweet Gum Tree. This could be a very good read. Yea. It was a mistake to start this last night. Since I couldn’t sleep, I started this a little after midnight and kept on reading until 4AM. I could’ve kept going, but a girl’s gotta sleep sometime. What I didn’t expect is waking up at 8AM and finishing the whole darn thing. I couldn’t put this down. I don’t know what it was, but something about the story kept me going.
“You don’t have to be scared anymore, Abby. We’ll figure something out, I promise. We’re in this together.”
Tate and his on and off again fiancée, Diane, were “off” when he got drunk one night and slept with Abby. What he didn’t expect was for her to become pregnant. And yes, it’s his. Tate is the only man Abby’s ever slept with, despite the reputation that followed her. She’s undeservedly inherited her mother’s reputation as the town whore. Abby’s life isn’t what she expected. She a hard worker, but still remains poor and alone. The one night Tate needed someone, she didn’t hesitate to help him. It felt good to be needed, especially by someone whom she’s had hidden feelings for. Now to add to her multitude of problems, she’s pregnant. What is she to do?
Tate, being a respectable and honorable man, offers her an alternative. He offers her his hand in marriage. She’ll help around the ranch, cooking and cleaning and in return she won’t have to worry about rent, food and medical expenses. But the biggest return is that she won’t have to go through this alone. He’ll be there for her and their baby. But what about Diane? His relationship with Diane is complicated. They’ve been together for a long time with multiple break ups and make ups. He knows she’s cheated on him, but he knows she always runs back to him. The last time they spoke, she called it off, again, but his responsibility to Abby and his child take precedence over his drama with Diane. He made is choice and he’s going to marry Abby.
“You really want me?” Even now she sounded surprised.
He took her hand and guided it to the front of his jeans. “Woman, I want you so badly it’s killing me.”
Abby and Tate’s relationship was a little rocky at first. I mean, they’re practically strangers. But the more they spend time with each other; they develop deeper feelings towards each other. The pink elephant in their relationship was Diane. Will Tate ever want Abby for her, or is he still in love with Diane? Abby felt responsible for putting Tate in such a predicament and feels like this arrangement she has with him has an expiration date. Tate however intends to keep his vow to Abby and will try to convince her that he’s in it for the long haul, no matter what.
“To hell with my responsibilities!” He spun from the window facing her fully. “I need you for myself, damn it, and I’m not giving up until you see that.”
I really liked this story. Like, really liked it. There was a certain charm and just the right amount of drama to keep me hooked. This story was such a pleasant surprise. I love getting absorbed in the emotions flowing through the characters. I have to admit that Tate was a little clueless at times and did want to smack some sense into him. Thank goodness for his brother, Buddy, and his BFF, Joe, for showing him what he couldn’t see what was right in front of him. I laughed, cried and just outright enjoyed this story. Highly recommend!
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