In general, I found In Bed With the Wrangler to be a light, enjoyable read, and would have recommended it had it not been for a rather weak ending that seemed to serve primarily as a setup for a future book.

Royce Ryder is hiding out in the bar at his sister’s wedding reception, bemoaning the fact that he has to leave civilization to spend a month at his family’s ranch. Royce normally serves as the pilot for his family’s corporate jet, but has agreed to be the temporary manager of the ranch. Things seem to be looking up, when he catches sight of a gorgeous woman, who also seems to be hiding out from the reception. Royce immediately hits on her.

Amber Hutton didn’t come to the bar looking for a man; she’s trying to avoid the happiness of the wedding reception. She knows things aren’t right with her own engagement, and is trying to figure out what to do. Although she’s attracted to Royce, she doesn’t want to get involved, so tells him she’s engaged. But, before you know it, they’re not only sharing drinks, but Amber is on her way to Montana with Royce and his younger sister.

Both Royce and Amber come from wealthy families, but Royce’s family is more down-to-earth than Amber’s who want her to marry her fiancé, a budding Illinois politician. I liked both Royce and Amber, although neither was perfect. I thought Royce wallowed a bit too much in his family’s past troubles.

Amber is a bit naïve at times; she’s just 22 and has dated her fiancée since she was 18. However, she’s not the empty-headed party girl that Royce takes her for at first. In fact, he discovers she’s far from it. While she hasn’t had a real job, she majored in public administration at a prestigious university, and is skilled in management and research. Amber discovers that there’s more wrong with the ranch’s office than general disorder. While Royce hires her to clean up the office, she does far more than that.

Royce figures out quickly that Amber isn’t in love with her fiancée, and intends to be her rebound fling. There’s a strong chemistry between the two, but in the last few chapters, Amber and Royce’s story seemed to take a back seat to the setup for what I assume will be the younger sister’s story. Until that time, I thought I would give a higher grade to the book.