Montana Destiny is the middle book in a trilogy about the three McCord cousins who all grew up on their grandfather’s ranch. It’s a pleasant but slight story that reminded me of a series romance writ slightly larger.

Wyatt McCord spent his early childhood growing up on his grandfather Coot’s ranch in Gold Fever, Montana. With his two cousins Zane and Jesse, Wyatt’s childhood was idyllic and the three of them were closer than most brothers. The ranch was a large and profitable one, but Coot McCord was obsessed with finding a lost treasure located somewhere on the property. His obsession drove his sons away and broke up the cousins. Wyatt’s parents travelled all over the globe, and after their death in a plane crash, he continued to travel. When he came back for Coot’s funeral, Wyatt discovered his cousins Jesse and Zane are back on the ranch. Tired of his footloose life, he happily joined them.

Marilee Trainor is an EMT in Gold Fever. An only child, she grew up caught between her rigid, disapproving father and her needy, clingy mother. They are both dead and Marilee prides herself on her independence. She owns and flies her own plane, picking up medical supplies for Gold Fever’s small clinic. She meets Wyatt when she treats him for an injury he receives while bull riding at a local rodeo.

Wyatt begins to court Marilee. He stops by to talk, he brings her pizza, and he listens to her. Wyatt is charming and sexy without being smarmy, and despite her desire for independence, Marilee can’t help but be drawn to him. She also grows to love Wyatt’s large and close family and her lonely heart is soothed by their love and acceptance. But Coot’s old treasure obsession intrudes on Wyatt and Marilee.

Wyatt and his cousins don’t care a thing about the treasure, but evidently someone in the town does. During an EMT run, Marilee has discovered a cache of old letters that contain a clue about the location of the treasure. Someone knows that she has those letters and they set out to kill her by sabotaging her plane. Marilee and Wyatt’s relationship is suffering as well from a clash between her strong need for independence and his just as strong need to protect those he loves and he has grown to love Marilee deeply.

The external plot was not all that interesting to me, probably because this is the middle part of a trilogy and the resolution of the hidden treasure is going to have to wait till the next book. The identity of the person who was behind the attempt to kill Marilee came out of the blue and – honestly – I didn’t care about it at all.

The romance between Wyatt and Marilee is the strongest part of the book. Who couldn’t love Wyatt? He’s handsome, charming, kind and honorable down to his toes. Having grown up rootless, he values home and family deeply. As for Marilee, I understood her desire to be her own person. Her distant father never cared for her, and she fears becoming a woman like her clingy mother. Marilee pushed Wyatt away from her several times, which hurt him deeply, but he’s able to understand where she is coming from and she has enough sense to realize that Wyatt’s protectiveness is nothing like her father’s controlling ways.

I enjoyed Montana Destiny. I enjoy romances with a Western setting, and while this wasn’t exactly a memorable book, it ended up as a slightly better than average tale. The conclusion of the trilogy, Montana Glory will be published in November.