Good book with an unexpected melding of two of the author's series, Cavanaugh Justice and Forever Texas. Sully has just finished a grueling 18-month investigation into a serial killer. He is tired and burned out. Enter his Uncle Seamus, who arranges for Sully to visit an old flame in Forever, Texas. Sully will work as a ranch hand and give his brain and soul a rest from the dregs of society. There he meets prickly, loner ranch foreman, Rae Mulcahy.

I liked the development of the romance between Sully and Rae. There were sparks between them from the beginning, though Rae tried to resist them. She had convinced herself that she had used up all the good in her life when Miss Joan took her in after Rae's father died. A man in her life wasn't in the cards, especially one that was only there for a short time. Sully was surprised at his reaction to Rae as she stirred up feelings that had been buried for a long time. Rae was a little difficult to like at the beginning because she always seemed to be angry at everything and everyone. Fortunately, Sully's laid-back attitude was a good counterpoint, and it wasn't long before he softened her rough edges. I ached for Rae and her feelings of aloneness and belief that there was nothing more for her. I loved how Sully showed her that she wasn't alone. I also liked the way he kept thinking about how much his family would like her. I loved the ending as Sully fumbled his way through telling her his feelings, and Rae's teasing him through it.

The suspense in this one was good. There are foreshadowings of the trouble when the two wranglers are first introduced, with Warren's disappearances and Rawlings' general bad attitude. Sully is there to get away from police work, but he can't shut his instincts off completely, and something doesn't sit right for him. When Warren turns up dead, Sully offers his help to the local sheriff. Rae also refuses to be left out and stubbornly insists on being included in all aspects, despite Sully's objections. I enjoyed how, even from hundreds of miles away, the Cavanaugh teamwork is still in action, as Sully calls in favors from Valri and others back home in Aurora. Things got very intense as they closed in on the killer and Rae put herself in harm's way. I was on the edge of my seat until it was all over and the bad guy caught.

One of my favorite things was Miss Joan's get-together and how Sully compared it to his Uncle Andrew's parties back home. It both made him feel at home there, and also brought a twinge of homesickness. I would love to know more about the connection between Miss Joan and Seamus as it sounds like there is an interesting story there. I also enjoyed the ending and seeing Rae's first experience with the Cavanaugh clan. ( )