Tory Wells may look like a teenager - and she isn't far out of her teens - but her slight frame hides a determination and dedication honed by years of striving after a seemingly unattainable goal: making the Olympic diving team. Now, with an injury to recover from and nowhere to go, she's come to the Sundance Ranch hoping the letter she carries will get her a job and a way to earn her keep. Instead she finds Reever. The dark, hard-driving boss of the Sundance has no use for soft females and he fights his attraction for the city-raised Tory with cynicism and biting comments that leave her shaking. Gradually, Reever learns to trust - only to realize that Tory's dreams may take her far, far from the Sundance.

Reminiscent of some of Diana Palmer's earlier romances - young, innocent girl, strong older man... happily ever after when both learn to compromise. ( )

Old school hostile alpha hero, contemptuous of women, disparaging remarks and punishing kisses. The Heroine is Bird with a Broken Wing, formerly Olympic-level diving champion, driven by desparate circumstances to cook on the hero's ranch. She will be humiliated and physically coerced. He will overcome his resentment of All Women for True Love. With modifications of the personal circumstances, this could be any one of Elizabeth Lowell's early romances. If you like EL's intensity, and can tolerate the disparity of power between the H/H, you will enjoy this.