Good second chance story with some action and suspense thrown in. Jolie and TC had been very close four years earlier until she took the money his parents offered and ran. He still has not forgotten or forgiven Jolie for that betrayal, nor has he seen Jolie since then. Until she and her daughter walk into his office asking for help.

Jolie had loved TC with all her heart, but she couldn't stand up to the threats made against herself and her daughter. After leaving the Colton ranch, she has made a new life for herself and Emma. Then Emma witnesses a murder and the killer comes after her, leaving Jolie nowhere to turn for help except TC.

The initial meeting between TC and Jolie is pretty rough. He's still bitter over her departure and not inclined to be very helpful. His walls against being hurt again are built pretty high. Jolie is still hurt that he let them go so easily and never even came after her for an explanation. I liked Jolie's fierce mama bear persona as she let him know exactly what drove her away. Her explanation set him back a bit because it differed quite a bit from his mother's version. He's still wary though, and ready to refuse his help, when he comes face to face with little Emma. He had loved the little girl, and much of his pain was wrapped up in how much he missed her too. He can't bring himself to refuse anything that will keep her safe. TC whisks them away to his "refuge," a cabin on a distant part of the ranch where he's sure they will be safe.

It was interesting to see the rekindling of TC and Jolie's relationship. Both of them are wary at first, with too many memories and too much hurt between them to be easy with each other. Both are determined to make the best of things for Emma. There are some really sweet scenes between TC and Emma as she wiggles her way back into his heart, and opening the door for his feelings for Jolie. The chemistry between them is still as strong as it had been before, and when they are together that way, everything else fades into the background. However, the memories of what happened before are never far from their minds, making both of them a little oversensitive and prone to take remarks the wrong way. With TC realizing that his feelings for Jolie never went away, it's pretty clear that a confrontation with his mother isn't far off. I loved that face-off when it happened, especially seeing TC and Jolie stand up to her together. It will be interesting to see if those results hold. The confrontation also made TC and Jolie realize that they belonged together. The icing on the cake was their return to the main ranch house, where they were met by the rest of the family. I loved the support they received from the "good" Coltons - Reid, Zane, Piper, and Alanna. The best part was seeing Fowler and Jolie go head to head and Fowler being the one to back down.

The suspense of the story had two parts. The main one being the murder that Emma witnessed and keeping her safe. Most of that occurred at the beginning and end of the book, with the first attack and then laying low while they tried to find the murderer. Things got very intense at the end when Emma was grabbed again. My heart was in my throat as TC and his horse Flash went up against a murderer in a car. There was a surprising twist to the resolution that I hadn't seen coming at all.

The second part was the continuing question of what had happened to Eldridge Colton. Once again, Fowler has a theory and doesn't hesitate to take it to the police. His victim of choice this time is Jolie, whom he accuses of killing Eldridge because she wants more money. I liked TC's belief in her innocence on that point and his help in clearing her name. It was amusing to see his reaction to where she was and who she was with the night in question. It was satisfying for them both to be able to thwart Fowler's intent. Unfortunately, it doesn't stop him from setting his sights on someone else, which is the lead into the next book. ( )