I liked this story of the gradual development of a relationship between two stubborn, rather prickly people. However, I should caution this relationship isn’t between a man and a woman, but between a long separated grandmother and granddaughter. While there is a tentative romance, it takes second place to the family story.

Meredith Briscoe is in rural Texas to bury her mother, the woman who abandoned her when she was a young girl. It’s been even longer since Meredith has seen her grandmother, Lilah Briscoe. While Meredith has vague memories of visiting her grandmother as a young girl, she also recalls stories her mother told her about her grandmother not wanting anything to do with them. Meredith intends to return to New York after the funeral and have nothing more to do with her grandmother. Lilah hopes for something different.

Meredith returns to her grandmother’s farm Honey Grove for the after-funeral dinner. Before she leaves for the night, Meredith promises to stop at the farm for breakfast the next morning on her way out of town. From that point on, nothing goes quite as planned for either Meredith or Lilah. Lilah and her cat are seriously injured. Meredith returns to New York and discovers she has been betrayed by the man she loves and has lost her job.

At a loss, Meredith returns to Texas to care for Lilah, but their relationship isn’t instantly fixed. These are two stubborn women. Each has their own ideas about how things should be run. Lilah regrets not having tried to find Meredith and her mother years earlier, and is afraid to hope that she and Meredith might have a long-term relationship. Meredith has commitment issues not only with men, but with Lilah.

While the main focus of the story is on Meredith and Lilah’s relationship, Meredith does have a tentative relationship with local bad boy Caleb Burkett. Caleb is a real charmer and is clearly attracted to Meredith. While Meredith is charmed by Caleb, she isn’t ready for another relationship, especially one with someone from rural Texas.

I wasn’t sure that I liked either Meredith or Lilah initially, but by the end of the book I cared for both of them. They each have their flaws, but grew on me. However, I was rather surprised to discover that Lilah was 68 rather than 80. She’s physically very active, and is involved in many ways with the local community. But her attitudes about computers and technology seem a bit odd for someone her age.

A lot of the book focuses on small, everyday aspects of life on the farm and in rural Texas. I found it rather charming, but if you prefer more action, this won’t work for you.

My biggest caution is about the basic nature of the book. This is classified as a contemporary romance at various sites on the Internet, but it really doesn’t read like one. I felt it seemed more like women’s fiction or straight fiction. The point of view rotates from Meredith to Lilah; they are the clear focus.

This is the first in a series and a lot is left up in the air at the conclusion. I’m definitely curious to read the next, and to see if the author picks up with Lilah, Meredith, and Caleb.