Good book. Tanner arrived back in town on leave at the end of the previous book, The Marine Makes Amends, facing the news that he may be a father. Eleven months earlier, Tanner made the mistake of hooking up with his old high school girlfriend. Della was always a little obsessed with him, and her actions back then nearly caused a disaster in his plans for the future. The most recent encounter turned out to be more of the same, but she didn't live to carry out her plans. Instead, Della's sister Addie took over as Poppy's guardian, loving her like a mother.

I ached for both Addie and Tanner at the beginning. Tanner's arrival could mean the end of Addie's dream of being Poppy's mom. If Tanner really is Poppy's father, he'll have the right to take her away and raise her himself, leaving Addie alone. At the same time, Tanner wants to do the right thing, but he is terrified of being responsible for a tiny baby. I liked how Tanner stepped up, determined to learn how to care for Poppy. I had a little harder time liking Addie at this point because she attempted to discourage Tanner. I wanted to shake her for her teaching methods and loved it when he called her out on it.

Tanner and Addie came to an interesting arrangement. Tanner would help do the repairs on the house she inherited in exchange for baby care lessons. This entailed Tanner moving into the home with Addie and Poppy so that he could experience ALL of it. I felt terrible for Tanner because he was so nervous and tense that the lessons didn't go well. This was very hard on his confidence. Though Addie's attitude frustrated me initially, I understood a little of what made her that way. She lost her parents and her sister in a short period, leaving her with no family except Poppy. Then her fiancé left her at the altar.

Both Tanner and Addie had past issues that influenced the way they looked at each other. Addie was a preteen when the high school drama between Tanner and Della happened and only saw it from Della's perspective. She saw Tanner as cold and uncaring and didn't want that for Poppy. Meanwhile, we learn about the hell Della put Tanner through, why he was so ready to leave town, and why he rarely came home for a visit.

I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Addie and Tanner. Once they moved past the initial problem of Addie's sabotaging his lessons, things got a little easier. Despite the tough Marine reputation, Tanner is a pretty sensitive man. I liked seeing him pitch in to help Addie with the post-jilting cleanup and how he supported her when she returned wedding presents. I liked seeing them get to know each other and some of the deep conversations they had. One night, aided by a bit of wine, Addie learned how deep an effect Della's actions had on Tanner. I loved Addie's take on the things he told her and his reaction when she told him. Of course, Addie's jilting affected her, and Tanner pointed out some things she hadn't considered either.

Complicating the whole waiting for the paternity results issue was the attraction that grew between Addie and Tanner. Tanner is wary because Addie is Della's sister, and how can he be sure that she isn't as excessively emotional? Poppy resists because of his former relationship with her sister, plus it being so soon after her breakup. But the attraction continues to build until they can't help giving in. The experience profoundly affected Tanner, and I loved his time of introspection the next morning. The ending was terrific. I loved the thought that Tanner gave to Addie's love for Poppy, his feelings for both Poppy and Addie, and what he saw as his role.

There were a couple of issues I had with the book. They did not affect my enjoyment of the story. One very minor, and one that is a consistent problem with Harlequin books. The minor issue was with the timeline of Tanner's departure for Annapolis. Unlike civilian colleges, which start at the end of August or the beginning of September, the Academy does things differently. If you are a Plebe (freshman), you report in at the beginning of July for Plebe Summer. "Plebe Summer is the summer training program which is required of all incoming freshmen to the United States Naval Academy. The program lasts approximately seven weeks and consists of rigorous physical and mental training. The stated purpose of Plebe Summer according to the Academy is to "turn civilians into midshipmen" (Wikipedia).

The other issue is that Tanner is a Marine, not a marine. Marine is ALWAYS capitalized when referring to a member of the Marine Corps. Harlequin nearly always gets it wrong.

P 151, The Associated Press Stylebook, 2004
Marines: Capitalize when referring to U.S. forces: the U.S. Marines, the Marines, the Marine Corps, Marine regulations. Do not use the abbreviation USMC.
Capitalize Marine when referring to an individual in a Marine Corps unit: He is a Marine.
Do not describe Marines as soldiers, which is generally associated with the Army. Use troops if a generic term is needed. ( )