The Cowboy Meets His Match
The Wyoming Cowboy, Book #4
By Jessica Clare
ISBN: 9780593101988
Author Website: jillmyles(.)com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Caro
Review:
Becca is a beautician and has her own business in Painted Barrel, Wyoming. It’s been two years since Becca was left days before her wedding day when her boyfriend of almost ten years, Greg, decided that he was in love with someone else. Greg, being the type of person who needs everyone’s attention and won’t settle down easily, felt threatened he would lose his friend Sage when she found her true love, to which he decided he was madly in love with her. The embarrassment hurt Becca’s pride more than anything else, and now, she is finally ready to move on.
One day, single father Hank Watson appears in desperate need of her assistance. His four year old daughter, Libby, has a messy case of gum and peanut butter stuck in her hair and Becca needs to save her curls. Hank and his brothers moved from Alaska to help their uncle during calving season at his ranch in Painted Barrel. Libby is a very nice and cheerful little girl and informs Becca that her daddy doesn’t have a wife. Becca takes the opportunity and asks Hank out on a date only to be turned down by him. Hank is a big and gruff man, he lives in the wild, hunts, fishes, likes a good steak, and is doing his best to teach his daughter his skills. He never imagined a pretty girl like Becca would ask him out without an ulterior motive. It must clearly be some kind of prank. But when faith puts Becca back in Hank’s life, this time, it’s Hank who gives dating a try.
“What do you want out of life? Let’s say you could have anything in the world. What would it be? What does your ideal situation look like? Is it a big house? Fancy cars? Seventeen children? What?”
I really liked this story, it’s different from the other couples of Painted Barrel. Hank is very shy and has little experience with women. It was sort of luck that he ended up with a baby girl. He was raised in the Alaska wilderness and only knows how to be survival smart, not socially smart. He is kind and takes good care of Libby, but he does know that there’s better things for her living in a town than back in Alaska. He initially is not looking for a mom for his kid, but once he gets to know Becca he begins to wish she were Libby’s mom and the sort of woman in her life to teach her what Hank can’t. It’s so sweet to read about a male character like Hank. Most of the cowboys are confident and ready to sweep the girl, but Hank is very different which gives the reader a new perspective compared to the previous Wyoming Cowboys.
In A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe, we saw Becca’s dismay as Greg left her thinking Sage would take him once he confessed his love for her. Little did he know it wouldn’t be like that. We really don’t get a clear idea of Becca’s character, but now, we learn how nice and charming she is. I loved that she didn’t go back to Greg and stood up to him. Hank would have defended her, but she was no damsel in distress. She also showed that she cared for Libby and didn’t mind that Hank had children.
Hank has two brothers whom we may see have their own stories in future books. One is clear who his love interest is, but the other brother is a mystery. Some of the previous characters are mentioned briefly and we find out that Anne and Sage have more babies on the way!
It is really interesting how this book is different yet relatable to the previous books in the series. This time, Hank is the outsider who becomes the cowboy and falls for the girl living in Painted Barrel. He has to make the more difficult life decisions for love, when it’s usually the girl. It gives it a refreshing feeling to see the roles reversed! If you’re looking for a good story about cowboys and smart charismatic ladies, this is the book for you!
