When It’s Right

Ryan excels at whipping up totally sympathetic characters. That’s why it is no surprise that even though petite Gillian Tucker kills her father at the start of the second Montana Men entry (after At Wolf Ranch), she stands out as a truly likable heroine. Rancher Blake Bowden finds her downright lovable from the moment she arrives at Three Peaks Ranch in her ’57 Chevy, younger brother Justin in tow. Caution is the order of the day, because Gillian is badly damaged both physically and emotionally: the former after a fall from a second-story window, the latter thanks to her abusive father. Life has dealt Gillian a very bad hand indeed, and she wants nothing more than to stay at the ranch, earn her keep, and mend. As romance builds between Gillian and Blake, she also has to keep a pushy ranch hand at bay. Readers who enjoy strong women and tough men will relish this story. (Mar.)