Broken

Sheridan O'Neil has worked for Deacon Cavanaugh as his assistant for years, but the time she has spent at the Triple C Ranch owned by the Cavanaugh brothers has been the best of her career. Not only has she learned a lot about the business of ranching, but she has made friends with Deacon's fiance, Mac. When she is attacked by a local contractor that blames her for charging him with using substandard materials, James Cavanaugh, Deacon's brother steps in to help keep Sheridan safe. As she spends more time with James, Sheridan realizes that she may be falling in love with him, but he is holding on tightly to a past in which he was never able to keep the women in his life safe from harm. The conflict between James and Sheridan in Broken is barely tangible as most of the story is spent on James's inability to leave his past behind. What makes this book worth reading is the continuing thread throughout these stories of the mystery surrounding the Cavanaugh sister, Cass's murder. Each book brings more clues and suspects to light, buoying a decent western romance into a more substantial book.