Lynnette Kent

Willa is unhappy that she has to sell part of her late husband's family ranch to someone who has money but knows nothing about ranching so she makes a deal with Daniel. He has three months to prove that he can do it or the land reverts to Willa and the sale is null and void.

The Ballad of Dixon Bell by Lynnette Kent, SuperRomance, #1118, March 2003 (series: book 2- At the Carolina Diner)

Since age 13 shy Dixon Bell(the kid who always carried around a guitar) has loved the smart Kate Bowdrey. But when he came to realize Kate wouldn't notice him he took off right after graduation. Now 13 years later he gets a letter from his grandmother and she tells him Kate is getting a divorce. After Kate one of the first people he meets is a construction company owner that wants to buy Dixon's property to build condos on, but Dixon plans to renovate the house for him, Kate and her stepchildren. But the person wanting to buy Dixon's property is Kate's soon to be ex. Dixon lays his heart on the line and tells Kate he loves her and wants to marry her. Is Kate willing to stand up to her parents, her friends, her stepchildren and her soon to be ex for her love of Dixon?

When Willa Mercado is forced to sell off a portion of the family ranch in order to pay the bills, she meets the buyer who has no experience running a ranch and suddenly she has cold feet. When Major Daniel Trent convinces her to give him a trial period to see how he does as a rancher, she agrees knowing that within a few months he'd be gone....or would he?

I loved the hero of this book. Deputy Rafe Rafferty and his dog are alone in this world. He is steadfast in his beliefs and his honor as an upholder of the law. But I felt like shaking Thea Maxwell. She is so attracted to Rafe. How can she expect him to ignore the law when it concerns her kid brother? And yet, I still like Thea! That says a lot about Lynnette Kent's writing because I don't ‘suffer fools gladly'! I also haven't found a Lynnette Kent book that I didn't like!

I cannot save the ranch, but you must save the ranch to pass down to the children. Enter handsome, but broken down soldier, you do the math.