Sheriff Needs a Nanny had two strikes against it before I cracked it open: A horrible title and an ugly baby on the cover. If not reading this for review, I never would have given it a chance, which would have been a shame, as I found it to be a fun, quick read that held my attention and left me smiling when I finished.

First things first, the sheriff really does need a nanny. Trace Oliver’s wife died over a year ago, leaving him with an infant son he didn’t want. Trace agreed to let his wife’s parents raise the boy until he has time to rearrange his life. He quit his high-risk job in the city and became a small town sheriff. Trace works long hours, has gone through two nannies, and needs a replacement.

Nikki Rhodes is equally desperate to get a job with live-in housing, as she recently was laid off from her teaching position. She also needs to find a place to live since there’s no longer room for her in her sister’s small house.

Nikki was a nanny while in college, so signed up with an agency to find a position. The position with the sheriff sounded perfect. Problem is, she didn’t expect Trace to be quite so hunky. Nikki also isn’t what Trace had in mind. He thinks she’s too young and too attractive.

Nikki and Trace make quick assumptions about each other. Nikki decides that Trace is a control fiend after one look around his apartment. Trace doesn’t like that Nikki is too emotional, and is a “toucher.” Despite their misgivings, Trace offers and Nikki accepts the position.

I loved the conditions that Trace put on Nikki, making her wear boring uniforms of black and white, insisting that she not touch him. Nikki also tried to keep their relationship professional, focusing solely on her charge.

If you don’t like children in your romances, this is not the book for you. Trace’s son appears throughout the book, and is the priority of Nikki and Trace, although in different ways. Nikki quickly becomes attached to the boy. She recognizes that the child’s development is slow, probably due to over-coddling by his grandmother and little attention from his father. She’s a meddler and intends to stay until father and son bond.

I thought that both Trace and Nikki showed growth over the course of the book. They became improved versions of themselves through knowing each other. As a couple, they became better than their individuals parts. While Trace begins as a stickler for order, he is willing to comprise in many ways for his son. Both Nikki and Trace have dealt with problems in their pasts and have developed coping skills to deal with them. Through knowing each other, they come to realize that perhaps their coping skills aren’t the only way of dealing with problems.

This is a very short book, but the author used the format in a clever way. Many chapters began several days after the previous chapter ended, making it seem to the reader as if the relationship develops gradually within the challenges of a short format.

You know that old saying, “don’t judge a book by its cover?” It is very apt in this case. I found Trace and Nikki to be likeable characters, with interesting personality quirks. I enjoyed watching them get to know each other, and fall in love not only with each other, but also with Trace’s son.