"A hunky cowboy, a pediatrician and a little girl!"

Nicki Prescott is only five years old but she's having a very hard time with her mother's death. If she doesn't snap out of it, she'll have to be hospitalized. Cord Prescott, Nicki's father can only give in when she cries, wants to stay in her room and won't eat. It is going to take an impartial judge to help Nicki.

That's where Dr. Becca Talbert comes in. She's a pediatrician but Cord begs her to see what she can do to save his daughter. Becca agrees because she's a good friend of Cord's brother Colton. What Becca doesn't count on is her attraction to Cord.

Becca has a way with children and had a difficult time when she was a teen-ager finding out that her mother really wasn't her mother (see EMILY'S DAUGHTER). This only works to her advantage when dealing with Nicki. She slowly but surely gets Nicki to come out of her shell and talk about what is bothering her. She even gets Nicki interested in the ranch and her horse. Becca finds herself not only falling in love with Cord but also Nicki. How in the world will she ever give them up and go back to her lonely apartment in the big city?

I shed tears of happiness and sadness over this wonderfully sweet romance. It is all about healing and going on with your life. Even though Becca had strife in her life at one time, it only made her a better and more loving person, which was just what Cord and Nicki needed in their lives. As much as I enjoyed this book, I will just have to go book hunting to find EMILY'S DAUGHTER to find out the rest of Becca's story. Linda Warren has found a new fan in me!

Reviewed by Kathy Boswell
Posted September 1, 2002

Summary

A child in need of help

Nicki Prescott is a motherless child. Five-year-old Nicki is not coping with her mother's death—she's withdrawn, refusing to eat or leave her room. In desperation, her father, Cordell Prescott, makes a phone call that will change their lives....

A cowboy in need of a woman

Cord calls Dr. Becca Talbert, a close friend of his brother's, and asks her to come to Triple Creek Ranch to see Nicki. To help Nicki. She agrees, and her presence soon starts to make a difference. But Cord's gratitude turns into something more....

A woman who loves them both

Cord doesn't believe he has the right to love Becca, although he realizes she's falling in love with him. He feels responsible for his wife's suicide—or apparent suicide. But he's not sure he can resist what Becca's offering....