Knocked around by life-and then knocked up by a man she won't speak of-Sam Kendall gives her baby for adoption. Envisioning herself a lone cowboy, she avoids any relationships that might risk her heart or cause pain. There's wonderful fun to be had if you don't fall prey to the ludicrous notion of true love Lately, however, Sam is niggled by doubts. She's not as content as she was. Plus her daughter Aisha has tracked her down-seventeen-years-old and pregnant. Despite misgivings, Sam checks into River's Sigh Bed-and-Breakfast to meet her. Then widower Charles Bailey, Aisha's adoptive father, shows up, and Sam can't control her outrage. What was her sacrifice for? She could've raised the kid to follow her stupid footsteps all on her own. And topping it off? Charlie's a neurotic, stodgy jerk-even if he is ridiculously hot. The longer Sam stays at River's Sigh, exploring the wild outdoors-and her own inner desires-the more her terror grows. Maybe Charlie isn't so terrible after all. Maybe his approach to life is actually refreshing. Maybe all this family stuff is something she could get hooked on. Yet they're opposites in every way, and worse: he's her biological child's adoptive dad. A romance between them would be too weird, wouldn't it? Every part of Sam screams play it safe, run. But what if, in spurning Charlie and Aisha, she's turning her back on everything she never knew she wanted? - - - - - - - - - - "Hooked by Ev Bishop is heartfelt, compelling small town romance at its best " - Cora Seton, NYT and USA Today Bestselling Author