Come Home, Cowboy

Mustang Valley #6

by Cathy McDavid

A COWBOY'S SECOND ACT

To provide stability for his two young children, retired rodeo rider Josh Dempsey returns home to his family's Arizona ranch, part of which is used as a mustang sanctuary run by Cara Alverez.

Working with horses helps Cara deal with a tragic loss. When Josh asks her for parenting help in return for his support with the sanctuary, Cara is torn. She is captivated by his adorable toddler son and baby daughter but isn't sure she can survive another blow to the heart. Unless a cowboy looking for his own second chance can show her how to love again.

Enjoy a special bonus short story from #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber, MY FUNNY VALENTINE

Genres: Romance

330 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2016

About the author

New York Times bestselling author Cathy McDavid has written over 55 titles, many for Harlequin. She spends her days penning stories about handsome cowboys riding the range, busting broncs, and sweeping gals off their feet — oops, no. Make that winning the hearts of feisty, independent women who give them a run for their money.

Reviews

[Jonel · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Truck drivers and cowboys simply aren’t to be trusted.” But damn do they make for a good story!

Both McDavid & Macomber are emotional authors. The tales in this duo are sweet and filled with real romance. Honest individuals come together in ways that warm your heart. At the same time, both stories have moments that brought me to tears, and to laugher. The emotionally hard hitting aspects of McDavid’s tale were balanced nicely by the comical pricelessness of Macomber’s.

Not only did the plots of both stories capture my heart, but he characters were fetching and unforgettable. McDavid’s insightful, well rounded character development brought her characters to life on and off the pages for me. Macomber created fun individuals that I truly enjoyed getting to know so well.

Both of these ladies are go-to authors for me in their respective sub-genres. Together, they’re an unstoppable duo. This is a set of stories that I’d highly recommend to all romance lovers.

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.

[Books and Spoons · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the story is rather realistic, and down to earth, it has plenty of swoon worthy moments, moments that make you just sigh.
Cara's pain from losing her child is devastating, as one can only imagine. Her guilt, regret, and loss are ten fold on the anniversary of the death. She says she is broken, she doesn't deserve any new happiness, or joy in her life, and definitely will never be ready for a new romance after the way her ex betrayed her trust.
Josh, a single father of two little ones, after a tough court battle with her addict ex, is over his head with his kids, work, and the new life at the ranch. The attraction he feels towards Cara might be the last thing he needs right now, but he feels the connection, and is willing to wait for Cara to be ready, he's willing to fight for a chance of happiness again.
I loved how patient, kind, and good man Josh is, with his kids, with Cara, just in general. No matter how much Cara struggles with her past, the pain and hurt from her loss, and previous marriage, he stands by her.
Even though this is easily to be read as a stand alone, it is a part of the series, and the financial struggles on the ranch continues, even though the new ownership by the brothers seems to be going better now, they are finding some common ground, and learning to work as a team. Can't wait for Cole's story later in the spring.
A sweet, clean, refreshingly realistic love story, about second chances in life, with lots of adorable moments, cute kids, and wild horses
~ Four Spoons

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good and highly emotional book. It opens with Cara desperately trying to deal with her grief on the anniversary of her son's death. The last thing she wants to do is face Josh, single father and part owner of the ranch that houses her mustang sanctuary. There's been tension between them since he and his brother tried to get her to give up her claim to part of the ranch in Her Holiday Rancher. But she won't give up the one thing that gives purpose to her life as it now is.

Though Josh hadn't been happy with the terms of his estranged father's will at the beginning, it has turned out to be a good thing. He needed a stable home to bring his children to after retiring from the rodeo and gaining custody from his drug addicted ex-wife. But now that he has them, he's feeling overwhelmed by everything he doesn't know about parenting. So he offers Cara a bargain: he will help her with her mustang rescue operation if she will help him learn how to care for his kids.

I hurt for Cara as she was so weighed down by the grief and guilt over her son's death. She blames herself for what happened to him rather than seeing it as a tragic accident. It affects her to the point where she isn't sure that she should be trusted around Josh's kids. But his belief in her combined with the time she spends with the kids, the easier it gets.

There is also a definite attraction between the two of them, something that Cara fights just as hard as she can. Josh is far more willing to pursue it and see where it might go. Though his marriage hadn't been a good one, and his parents' had been even worse, he hasn't given up on the idea for himself. I loved his patience in waiting for Cara to be ready, though he certainly had no problem with pushing the limits a little bit here and there.

I also loved his support of her and her mustang sanctuary. She doesn't have an easy time accepting help and tries to keep him at a distance at the beginning. But Josh has more than his fair share of charm and humor to go along with his good looks and he has no trouble using them to get his way. There are some really sweet moments when his care and patience take precedence over his own feelings. And when the strength of her growing feelings cause her to panic and pull away, he overcomes his own hurt to show her the depth of his feelings and what they can have together.

Also running through this book is a continuation of the struggle to bring the ranch back to financial health. More debt is discovered, making their position even more precarious. Cara feels especially bad because of the additional strain of the mustang sanctuary. I loved seeing them all work together to run a successful fundraiser to help it become self-sufficient. I especially loved the big part that Josh played in it and the sweet surprise he and his young helper provided. There was also a fantastic development that came out of that surprise that made things even better. I'm really looking forward to Cole's story and hopefully a happy resolution for the ranch.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are two stories in this book.
Come Home, Cowboy by Cathy McDavid. Josh Dempsey returns to his fathers ranch with his two small children after he divorced his wife after finding her on drugs and the kids weren't being taken care of. She is in rehab now. Josh was a rodeo star. Part of the ranch is run by Cara Alverez for use for her Mustang Sanctuary. Cara is still getting over the lost of her two year old son and then her marriage. Both have a lot to heal from. The Mustang Sanctuary helps them both recover.

My Funny Valentine by Debbie Macomber. Dianne Williams has two teenage children and a mother who want her to start dating again. Her husband left her three years ago for a younger woman. They want her to go to the Valentine dinner that is coming up. She has been set up with a couple guys, but that didn't work out. Dianne locks her keys in her car one night and calls a towing coming to open the doors. Steve Creighton shows up. Dianne doesn't know him but offers him a hundred dollars to take her to the dinner. He agrees. Come to find out Steve has noticed Dianne before and liked what he saw but Dianne never noticed him. Steve owns the towing company and a member of the Chamber in town. Dianne is upset when she finds this out at the dinner. It is a very funny story. I wish it was a little longer story.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.

This book contains two stories, by two great authors. The first story, Come Home Cowboy by Cathy McDavid took me a bit to get into, to be honest. I'm not really sure why. Cara is dealing with the loss of her son, and working with horses helps her cope. Josh, who is a single father to two small children, returns home to the ranch where Cara's horse sanctuary is. They are each dealing with their own loss, but need to work together.
The second story, My Funny Valentine, we meet Diane who has two teenage sons. They and her mother want her to start dating again, of course they just want her to be happy. After a series of events, she ends up hiring tow truck driver, Steve, to take her to the valentine's diner. Little does she know that Steve had noticed her and was interested in her, though she's never noticed him.

I like the pairing of these two stories, one serious dealing with loss, family, and hard times the other a nice, fun story with a much lighter theme.

[Dj · Rating 3 out of 5]

A COWBOY'S SECOND ACT To provide stability for his two young children Kimberly (9 months) and Nathan (2 years), (retired rodeo rider/rancher) Josh Dempsey returns home to his family's Arizona ranch, part of which is used as a (mustang sanctuary) run by Cara Alverez. Working with horses helps Cara deal with a tragic loss of her son Javier to a freak accident 2 years ago. When Josh asks her for parenting help in return for his support with the sanctuary, Cara is torn. She is captivated by his adorable toddler son and baby daughter but isn't sure she can survive another blow to the heart. Unless a cowboy looking for his own second chance can show her how to love again.

[ellymate · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a cute book with nice parallel heart-breaking stories of the two main characters, but for me that's it, just a cute story.

[Rita Arnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy reading and enjoyable story but pretty typical.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can find more reviews Mademoisellesnow Blog

Cara has been struggling with the tragic death of her young son just a couple of years ago. To deal with her loss that’s kept her trapped in mourning she builds a sanctuary for wild mustangs. But that may change when Josh and his brother comes home to the ranch when their father passes away.

Josh brings his young son and baby daughter which reminds Cara of her own son. Josh offers his help to pull Cara out of her own tragic loss.

I liked most of this book but I felt that some of the timing was a little off. I loved Cara’s interactions with Josh’s kids and how they both worked together to pull each other out of different losses and grow stronger together with the help of their family. I didn’t completely fall in love with this book as it didn’t completely flow right for me but I enjoyed most of it.

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cara has been has been struggling with a tragic loss that has kept her trapped in her mourning, but she has one thing that helps her and that is her horse sanctuary, but that may all change now that Josh and his brother are coming home to the ranch. When Josh offers her a deal in return for her help, she may just not be able to help.

Josh needs to provide stability for his two young children and returns home to his father’s ranch in Arizona to make a go of it. Little does he know he will have to deal with the feisty, strong, mourning Cara who has a part of the ranch for her sanctuary.

Josh is willing to put in the effort to pull Cara out of her tragic loss and help her get her life moving again, but Cara puts up a fight.

This was a good read. I liked the struggles both Josh and Cara faced, family, loss, and trying to make a living with the help of family all around.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cara's back story was truly tragic and I'm not surprised that two years on she was still mired in grief. It was lovely how first Josh and then his children, Nathan and Kimberley, began to show her that she could live again; that it was OK to smile and feel joy. Obviously there are setbacks and she still feels pain, grief and guilt but she starts to move on. With regard to the epilogue, I think I understand why it is only a month or so into the future (other character storylines) but I would have liked it to be years (perhaps even decades) into the future. Both characters deserved their HEA and it would have been nice to see how their life had panned out.

I received a free copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review.

[Bec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review Posted at HarlequinJunkie.com

Running a mustang sanctuary and caring for the wonderful horses helps take Cara Alvarez’s mind off her own tragic loss. That, of her young son who died in an accident she believes she could have prevented. However, now that Josh Dempsey has returned to claim his part of his inheritance, she’s been having trouble remaining impartial to his charm. The question is – can she deal with the fact that he has kids, or will she ruin her chances with him by running scared of that fact forever? Read More

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two very different stories by two wonderful authors. Come Home, Cowboy is a story of emotions dealing with the death of a child. Cara is dealing with the loss of her young son and divorce and buries herself in the Mustang Sanctuary on Dos Estrelles ranch . She finds friendship with the owners son who returns from the rodeo circuit. Completely opposite is the funny, laugh out loud, My Funny Valentine by Debbie Macomber. When Dianne needs a date for the Valentine's dance she hires a tow truck driver to take her never expecting him to love her and her two nosy children and interfering mother. A nice read for both ends of the emotional spectrum.

[Harlequin Books]

"McDavid does a fine job portraying a complex heroine dealing with immense guilt and self-doubt. This romantic story has some beautifully crafted, tender moments that make it a worthy addition to the Mustang Valley series" (RT Book Reviews, 4 1/2 stars TOP PICK!).

Miniseries: Mustang Valley

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book. As an added bonus there is a short story, My Funny Valentine, by Debbie Macomber. Both are good reads that held my interest.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, I had a like / Dislike thing about this book. There was something off about this book that I just couldn't get into it. Maybe it was me. I just was on and off with this book with no interest.