For the most part, I liked this story of two quiet adults with troubled backstories. This isn’t a red-hot romance, but a gradually developing love story between two very hesitant individuals. While I had a few problems, I can recommend it. However, if you hate children in your romances, you’re going to want to avoid this one, because a baby plays a major role.

Rancher Wyatt Black is dumbfounded when he discovers a baby swaddled in all things pink on his doorstep. No, Wyatt hasn’t been sleeping around. This isn’t his secret baby, but it does involve a family secret. Wyatt’s father, a completely despicable man, had an ongoing affair, and the baby is the daughter of one of Wyatt’s former high school classmates. According to the note with the baby, the mother is actually Wyatt’s half-sister.

Wyatt has all kinds of family issues and, while he’s in no position to raise an infant, he’s also not about to turn the baby over to the authorities. Desperate, Wyatt turns to his temporary neighbor, Elli Marchuk.

Coming off a recent divorce, and job loss, Elli is housesitting, while trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her life. Elli has had only one prior encounter with Wyatt, and it wasn’t pleasant. He yelled at her and essentially told her she was stupid, so she isn’t remotely pleased to discover “Mr. Dark and Scowly” at her door.

Aside from not liking Wyatt, Elli has very real reasons why she doesn’t want to become involved with a baby. But it’s instantly clear to her that Wyatt needs help, so she reluctantly agrees. I liked the fact that Elli didn’t instantly know everything about babies. When Wyatt first brings the baby to Elli’s home and begins asking her questions, instead of knowing everything, her frequent answer is, “I don’t know.”

With the exception of the baby, Elli and Wyatt are the only characters of note for the majority of the book, and a lot of the plot focuses on their efforts to take care of the baby and prove to the local authorities that Wyatt is capable of parenting the child. This worked for me, as I enjoyed their slow love story and found their backstories touching.

These are two very quiet, private people, who’ve had a lot of loss and hurt. It’s not surprising that they’re each afraid to commit, even as the attraction between them grows stronger. I especially liked Wyatt. Given his background, he could be a very different type of man, but he’s honorable and willing to go out of his way to help the sister he never knew he had. I do think, however, that the author carries Elli’s reluctance a bit too far.

Elli and Wyatt have a number of disagreements, and for the most part, they seemed believable to me. However, near the end, just when it seemed as if things were going to work out, Elli holds back. At this point, it just didn’t make a lot of sense to me.

If you’re looking for a hot, steamy, love story, this isn’t going to work for you. Despite some reservations about Elli’s reluctance, I did enjoy the book and I can give it a qualified recommendation.