SONG OF THE ROAD

Pregnant, spunky Mary Lee Clawson returns to Cross Roads, N.Mex., and the motor court her beloved late father built on Route 66 in this engaging Depression-era romance, Garlock's third to feature the legendary highway. All is not right at the motor court: Mary Lee's alcoholic mother is surrounded by trashy friends and has let the motel fall into disrepair; she also resents Mary Lee's return, especially after she learns her daughter owns the motor court. Thankfully, a disarming, green-eyed man Mary Lee met on the bus turns up to help, revealing that he is former jailbird Jake Ramero, back in town to clear his name. Falling for Mary Lee is the last thing Jake planned, but he soon finds himself protecting her from the demands of her dead husband's father, Ocie Clawson, who wants to move her and the baby onto the big ranch, and Ocie's jealous right-hand man, Lon. The bad guys get theirs, the good win out and one plot twist comes as a pleasant and unexpected surprise. Marred only by out-of-place sex scenes late in the book and one out-of-character incident for Mary Lee, this sweet romance is a treat, buoyed by strong characters and Garlock's old-fashioned, no-nonsense storytelling. Agent, Karen Solem. (June)