Judith’s review of Margot’s Lawman (Sisters of McDougal Ranch, #3) by Debra Kayn
It’s hard to keep a secret in the small town of Pike, Montana, but veterinarian Margot McDougal and sheriff Roy Lee Hanson managed to keep their relationship on the sly for months. Margot cares for Roy Lee, but the last thing she needs is to worry about local gossip while she’s busy running her clinic and dealing with the loss of her beloved father.
Roy Lee can’t wait to tell the world that he loves Margot. He respected her decision to keep their affair quiet?until now. It’s time for everyone to know Margot is his gal…especially Ryan Martin, her new assistant. He’s formed an attachment to Margot and Roy Lee is sure the city boy’s unexplained appearance in Pike means he’s up to no good.
Margot just wants to help Ryan fit in, and Roy Lee’s jealousy soon drives a wedge between them. A wedge that only increases when Margot is roped into Ryan’s secret, too…
This is the third in a series of cowboy romances built around the experiences of sister, all of whom were names by their mother after her favorite kinds of lace. Now this third sister is the veterinarian of Pike, Montana, and Margot McDougal has engaged the services of a young vet because of the expansion of her practice. She is deeply in love with the sheriff who really doesn’t see any reason why their relationship has to remain a secret except for the fact that Margot’s dad has died recently and the entire family is trying to find their way out of a very deep grief.
And perhaps that is one of the important aspects of the stories in this series: that all the sisters are trying to deal with the death of their father by ALS and learning to live without his very large presence in their lives as not only a father but as a wise counselor and guide, a presence that became even more important after their mother’s death a few years ago. Add in the fact that there is a very real antipathy and dislike between the sheriff and Margot’s assistant–well, it’s probably more accurately called jealousy–and you have a novel that is filled with the good things that bind a family but also a story filled with tension, stress, and the wounds of unexpected discoveries about the people we have loved and lost.
I have enjoyed all the novels in this series and this one is no exception. It is a rousing look at contemporary Western living and especially in a solid family in a small town. I think there is a current Country and Western song that states ” . . . everyone dies a hero in a small town.” So it is in Pike, Montana and in the lives of these sisters and those who love them. The most poignant moment for me was when each of the sisters discovers a letter written to them during the final days of their dad’s life. Each of these letters gives the sisters insights and information about their dad’s thoughts that they had never known as well as final words of wisdom that help them to move in a positive direction in their future.
Lovers of cowboy and contemporary romance will like these stories, I think. They are very well-written and the stories are balanced with strong primary characters and continuing involvement of the McDougal family from previous novels. That’s one of the aspects of series I like the best. It sort of keeps the previous stories going just a bit longer for me. I hope you’ll get this book and enjoy it as much as I did.
I give it a rating of 4 out of 5
This book is available from Carina Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
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