"Unexpected surprises often have the best results"

Miranda Kimbrough has it all or does she? An outsider looking in would certainly think so. She's young, good looking, wealthy, talented, and a country music star. Miranda however is far from happy, and she sees no way out of the situation in which she finds herself.

Miranda sneaks away from her life and creates a new persona for herself. She travels many miles until she finally ends up in California with the name of Randi. On the streets of LA she hooks up with Eric, Greg, Shaun, and Jenny all of whom are teen runaways. How the unlikely group bond and change one another is sure to touch a reader's heart.

Linc Parker is a hot shot in the world of Hollywood stars. He has seen both the successes and struggles that stars have. His sister Felicity wanted to be a music star, but her story doesn't have a happy ending. She ended up lost in the streets of LA, and eventually dying.

As a memorial to her, Linc wants to open a refuge for homeless teens. The ranch his representative buys has more than one surprise for Linc.

Randi's unlikely group ends up there. Again the transformation of all the characters is heartwarming, and leaves readers with a feeling of wanting to change the world in their own small way.

This book started slowly for me, but I was quickly engrossed in the story. I was rooting for each and every character from surly Linc right down to little, fiesty Scrap, a mangy stray picked up by Randi.

This was my first read by Ms. Fox. I found it to be a touching feel good book. Having read this book makes me want to search out others by Ms. Fox. If they all touch me as this one has Ms. Fox will be added to my auto-buy list.

Reviewed by Sandi Shilhanek
Posted April 12, 2004

Summary

Miranda Kimbrough is a woman escaping her celebrity life. Linc Parker is a man with a debt to his past. Because of it, he's bought a ranch as a haven for kids—throwaway kids, homeless kids, runaways.

Miranda, a runaway of a different kind, discovers Rascal Ranch. She falls for the place, the kids...and the man she considers a cowboy at heart.

There's a problem, though. Parker despises the world of entertainers and celebrities, and once he finds out who she really is, all her dreams of marriage and family are going to collapse.

Unless he, too, believes that together they can make a home—for each other and for the kids.