First published in 1984 by Walk & Company
Re-issued in July 2016 by Grand Central Publishing
Some friends are more like family...and that's exactly how Cara Martin feels about Ryan Langston. He stood by her side through the most difficult time of her life and there's nothing she won't do for him, even now after his death. But inheriting Ryan's share of his family's ranch in west Texas and living there for a year? Cara doesn't understand what he was thinking. Still, she cannot, will not deny Ryan's last request...even if it means sharing a roof with his brooding, arrogant older brother.
Jeth Langston doesn't trust Cara as far as he can throw her. Jeth is certain she prevented his baby brother from spending his last days at home. And he'll be damned if he lets this stranger take over the Langston family legacy too. Whatever the cost, he's determined to drive this beautiful outsider away-no matter how intriguing he finds her.
But as the days grow longer and sunshine sweeps across the plains, Cara can't help but fall for the untamed land-and the man whose passion for it captures her, heart and soul. Can their love bloom wild and free on this Texas ranch?
Ryan's Hand was originally written in 1984. It's the first book by this author. Included in the beginning of the book is a story of how this book came to be. As I was reading it, I kept having to remind myself that it was written in the early 80s. A time when men were jerks and women fell in love with them. I think for the time this was written, this is a good clean romance. It's a really good first effort. The author notes that no updates or revisions were made with the re-issue and I was happy to see that. I do want to try to hunt down some of her other works to see how her writing evolved over the years.
That being said, I did ultimately like this one. Out of the two main characters, I liked Cara the most. I loved her conviction to stay true to her promise to her best friend Ryan, no matter what happened to her. She definitely didn't have an easy time at the ranch. Jeth is a major douche to her most of the time, but she still falls for him anyway. The ending was sweet. I only wish that they had spent more time together in the book actually liking each other. There was a serious lack of communication between the couple. I did like that it took place over a full year. I made the HEA more convincing.
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