The Kissing Tree

In Bice’s sweet second novel of the Old West (after The Widower’s Wife), a young woman rediscovers her western roots. After five years in New York with her bitter, controlling aunt, Georgiana McLaughlin returns to her small Colorado hometown to keep house for her recently widowed grandfather. Georgiana’s childhood crush, Ridge Carson, is now working on her grandfather’s ranch and resumes cheerfully sparring and flirting with her as soon as she steps off the stagecoach. Their renewed romance is interrupted by the appearance of Dawson Alexander, Georgiana’s beau from New York. This classic love triangle is further complicated when the daughter of the former town banker sets her sights on Ridge, and Georgiana battles the unfamiliar feelings of jealousy and envy. Georgiana’s fiery Irish temperament is the perfect foil for Ridge’s easygoing personality as this simple and wholesome romance unfolds to a satisfying conclusion. (Dec.)