The Rancher Next Door

Lone Star Canyon #2

by Susan Mallery

Her daddy said the Darbys were dirt.... But to young Katie Fitzgerald, the sun rose and set on rugged Jack Darby. Jack was her childhood hero, her secret teen beau. But he hadn't loved her enough to leave their feuding families behind, and blinding heartbreak had led her into another man's arms--and 11 years of loneliness. When Katie returned to the ranch next door, emotions tore through Jack like a Texas twister. Anguish over her youthful betrayal, tenderness for her shy son--and a hunger so deep it hollowed him out. But hadn't 11 lonely years taught him he was a fool to love a Fitzgerald?

Genres: Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Westerns, Contemporary Romance

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2000

About the author

#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming and humorous novels about the relationships that define women's lives—family, friendship, romance. She's best known for putting nuanced characters into emotionally complex, real-life situations with twists that surprise readers to laughter. Because Susan is passionate about animal welfare, pets play a big role in her books. Beloved by millions of readers worldwide, her books have been translated into 28 languages.

Critics have dubbed Mallery "the new queen of romantic fiction." (Walmart) Booklist says, "Romance novels don't get much better than Mallery's expert blend of emotional nuance, humor, and superb storytelling," and RT Book Reviews puts her "in a class by herself!" It's no wonder that her books have spent more than 200 weeks on the USA Today bestsellers list.

Although Susan majored in Accounting, she never worked as an accountant because she was published straight out of college with two books the same month. Sixteen prolific years and seventy-four books later, she hit the New York Times bestsellers list for the first time with Accidentally Yours in 2008. She made many appearances in the Top 10 before (finally) hitting #1 in 2015 with Thrill Me, the twentieth book in her most popular series, the Fool's Gold romances, and the fourth of five books released that year.

Susan lives in Washington state with her husband, two ragdoll cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Her heart for animals has led Susan to become an active supporter of the Seattle Humane Society. Visit Susan online at www.SusanMallery.com.

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason I couldn't really get into the problems between Katie and Jack in this book, partially because I don't understand any woman jumping into bed with and marrying someone she doesn't know well. Being nineteen is no excuse. Even in the 80's, it was a worry. I did like the characters, particularly Shane and Hattie, and as a story, it was easy to read. I never felt the desire to put it down, so clearly I wanted to know what happened next. On the whole, it was what I would expect of any Silhouette romance.

[Fy]

I don’t understand the timeline. They are afraid to tell people about their dating lives when they are in their teens cause of David and Nora. But David is older (a couple year older?) and Nora is younger (a couple year younger?) than Katie. So if Nora dated in high school, the age gap will be quite a bit err..
Isn’t Nora a bit too young for David back then? And she got engaged to him.

Unless Katie didn’t want to tell people about their past, in that 10 year period where she already had broken up with Jack. And not during the period when they were dating.

I don’t know why I’m so disturbed about these. Maybe I didn’t read the details carefully.

[Diann · Rating 5 out of 5]

the Rancher Next Door

Love the story ! Enjoy the twists and turns that Katie went through with her dad and Jack. Both were very stubborn men. In the end Jack soften and came to realize that Katie was the one for him and always had been.

[Gail A Ostrove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katie and Jack

Needed to learn that they both really wanted to commit to each other and Shane and become the family they should be.

[Diveer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Number 1...

[Allison Boot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cute, feel-good romance by one of my favorite authors.

[Cathie McManus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katie and Jack had a secret love. There is a century old feud between the families. Jack tries to push her away. He can't trust women again. A secret is revealed.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked Jack and Katie together. I loved Shane in all of his child view of things. It was sad to see him subdued around his grandfather. He was so alive around Jack and Hattie which was what he needed. Jack and Katie both ran from their love in different ways...her to another man and Jack from Katie. They needed to meet in the middle to find the love that never disappeared but they were both scared of loving each other again. This was a nice romantic read with just enough reality to make it good

[Emily Higgins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Katie Fitzgerald had loved Jack Darby since they were teens. When Katie went off to college, Jack stayed behind to run the family ranch. Thinking Jack did not love her, Katie married someone else. Now divorced, Katie returns home 10 years later with her young son. In spite of the bad feelings between their two families, Jack and Katie discovered that their feelings had not changed. Cute story.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed their story. I'm not usually a fan of the "we were in love way back when" plot, but I felt that they both realized what they had let go, and while afraid of risking themselves, handled things maturely. And the secondary characters (Hattie and Aaron, in particular) were so well fleshed out, and were great foils. I definitely want to look for more Lone Star Canyon books, for sure.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read loved reading this book a very touching story about two people with feuding families yet come together by falling in love with one another. Love reading Susan Mallery's novels her stories are amazing and touch one's heart.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow! a very powerful story with intense characters.

[Kim]

I enjoyed reading this book every much.

[Angela Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story and quick read. The main characters meet again years after they split up and learn how to trust each other again and fall in love despite the family feud that has been between their families for over 100 years.