ghost by any other name might not have fit so well, but Angus the McKettrick figure head fit perfect in the modern cowboy romance.
Finding your way in the world takes hard work and often lots of time, Meg has waited a long time for her hearts desire of a child only to find herself looking back into the the eyes of her lost love and life heart break Brad.
Once her teenage heart throb turned heart break when he left for higher ground and Counrty Star fame, Brad is home again and Meg is having lots of run ins with him, the pull is too strong to stay away.
Soon Meg finds her heart is mending from days past both of Brads hurt and her long lost father, Along the way she gains ayrld old sister and a love stronger than any wild horse! Angus is there the entire ride, guiding and loving like only family can do.
.stars. An easy read, but very predictable and similar to others in the series, I love this series. Meg McKetterick has had a secret friend all her life, Because of Eve McKetterick's problems with drugs and alcohol after the kidnapping of Meg's sister, Sierra, Angus McKetterick has been with her through her troubled life.
She was in love with Brad O'Ballivan in High School, They were supposed to marry after graduation but he found a new girl whose father could help his music career and left Meg waiting.
She's still waiting. Brad has returned. Their troubled romance and so much more makes this a wonderful read, This book combinedof my favorite subjects, cowboys amp musicians, Loved the way she introduced the love interests, I actually didn't like it, the reasons that the hero had for leaving the heroine and for marrying another woman were stupid to my way of thinking, then he couldn't find it in his heart to forgive her for not telling him about a baby of theirs she was carrying before he left and then misscarriaged a little while after he left and married another woman.
She didn't tell him cause he was GONE! Off to marry another!!!!!!!!!!! Why is he so high and mighty So I didn't like it at all.
Meh!
He offered her a ring and asked her to marry him, and then he left and never contacted her again.
Our heroine is a poor thing who was kicked into the curb by the hero, . . he went on with his life, married twice and had countless women, all while she was left behind as yesterday's garbage.
No sympathy for him and pity for her, She should have moved on and built the family she wanted so badly,
If the hero had had children with any of his women, I doubt he would even remember her existence,
Where's McKettrick's backbone and pride It must have been lost over the generations,
"You're back," Olivia said, sounding nonplussed, The eldest of Brad's three younger sisters, at twentynine, she'd never quite forgiven him for leaving home
God, she was proud.
She'd let him pay for her education, but returned every other check he or his accountant sent with the words NO THANKS scrawled across the front in thick black capitals.
"You used to date Brad O'Ballivan, didn't you, Meg" "Thatthat was a long time ago," Meg said as graciously as she could, given that she was right in the middle of a panic attack.
"How about the two exwives and that scandal with the actress" His grin, insouciant in the first place, merely widened.
"Unfortunately, I can't deny the two exwives," he said, "As for the actresswell, it all depends on whether you believe her version or mine, Have you been following my career, Meg McKettrick"
Brad had hurt her so badly, she'd thought she'd never recover.
For years after he'd dumped her to go to Nashville, she'd barely been able to come back to Indian Rock, and when she had, she'd driven straight to the Dixie Dog, against her will, sat in some rental car, and cried like an idiot.
She'd stopped believing in a lot of things when Brad O'Ballivan ditched her,
"I know how he's beenrich and famous, married twice, busy building a reputation that makes Jesse's look tame," she said.
"No," Meg replied, fighting back furious tears, "You were ambitious. And of course the bride's father owned a recording company"
"We were supposed to elope, And then you got on a bus and went to Nashville and married what'shername!"
"I couldn't have married you, Meg.
" "Pardon my confusion. You gave me an engagement ring and proposed!"
Valerie's dad had heard my demo and he was willing to give me an audition.
"So you just hooked up with Valerie"
"I'm assuming she was a rich kid, just like me I guess you didn't mind if she saved the old homestead with a chunk of her trust fund.
"
"She miscarried, We divorced amicably, after trying to make it work for a couple of years,
"Do you want to hear about the second marriage" "I don't think I'm up to that,"
"I plan on staying," he confirmed.
"I told you that, didn't I" You also told me we 'd get married and you 'd love me forever,
She'd wanted a baby, all right, And she'd conceived one, with Brad, and miscarried soon after he left for Nashville,
"Carly," said Ted Ledger, "say hello, " "Hello," Carly complied grudgingly. Looking at the child, Meg couldn't help thinking that the baby she'd lost would have been about this same age, if it hadn't been for the miscarriage.
"She's about the same age as your baby would have been," Eve said,
"You even started a production company once, " "Cynthia got it in the divorce," Phil confided, as thougt Brad wasn't standing there, "The production company,
I mean, I think that soured him, "
At fourthirty that afternoon, the movie contract sputtered out of the fax machine in Brad's study, He read it, signed it and faxed it back,
Ted's looking for the same thing I am, A second chance with you, " She looked taken aback. "Maybe," she agreed. "But he sure took his sweet time putting in an appearance, and so did you,"
"I'd be perfect for the female lead in this movie," Cynthia Donnigan said, tottering toward him on spiked heels that sank into the dirt.
Cynthia simmered, "Hello," she responded, in a dangerous purr, "You must be the girl Brad left behind, "
Meg gave him a light poke with her elbow, "I know you must have loved her once, After all, you married her, "
"We hooked up after a party, Six weeks later, she called and told me she was pregnant, and the baby was mine, I married her, because she said she was going to get an abortion if I didn't, I went on tourshe wanted to go along and I refused, Frankly, I wasn't ready to present Cynthia to the world as my adored bride, She called the press in, gave them pictures of the 'wedding, ' And then, just to make sure I knew what it meant to cross her, she had the abortion anyway, "
"I care for you, Meg McKettrick," he said, "I tried hardwith Valerie, even with Cynthiabut it never worked, I was always thinking about you
"That young man," Ted said, "is in love with you, " "He left me, too," Meg said without meaning to expose the , rawest nerve in her psyche, "It's a pattern. First you, then Brad. "I read Sierra's story ages ago, and thought I'd enjoy this one, Linda Lael Miller is a name that is a go to for contemporary western's when it comes to Harlequin romances,
It took me several days to finish thispage book, That's absolutely nuts. A day or two yes More than that UGH!
It was a passable read but for me there was more wrong with it than right.
. Meg and Brad have a past and they both seemed to have not gotten past their young love for each other.
Does this ever really happen in real life This second chance trope is probably the most annoying of all romance tropes.
. He left to become a big time star Country music, of course and now he's back home to run the ranch and he's only in hiss Huh
.
Meg is the ghost of one of her ancestors, This is actually one of the only cool parts of the story But it really is a way out there plotline
.
Brad gets offered a chance to do a movie on the ranch, Oh and one of his ex wives is going to star in it,
. Meg's estranged father shows up with a sister for her and you guessed it, he's dying,
OK, so I may be offering a spoiler or two here, but I think the main thing you can take away is there is an awful lot going on in such a short book and I'm not really even touching on all of it.
It is just way too busy, with stuff from Meg's life to stuff from Brad's life and his sister and her strange ability in regards to animals, especially the wild horse "Ransom.
"
There was just WAY WAY too much going on, And though Meg and Brad have a past and have some chemistry, its hard to figure out why they are in love, or ever were in love.
Now I'm not saying this is a bad book, Linda Lael Miller does keep your attention, especially with all the plot twists, It just isn't a great book, but if you are a fan of western romances, you probably will enjoy this one at least a little bit.
The McKettrick Way is a special edition of the McKettrick Women series by Linda Lael Miller, It is a good story but after so many of the McKettrick novels, much of it is repetitious with explanations as to who everyone is.
You almost think you have read this before when you havent, However, once it gets past that, it becomes a good story, Linda did a fantastic job with her characters and plot, You feel as if you are there with those wonderful people as you read,
Meg McKettrick is content to live the life of leisure since the McKettrick organization was bought out by another company.
After working there for years without a vacation, Meg has a pretty substantial bank account and with her shares will continue to make money.
She can do what she wishes, To her that is living in the house on the ranch and having horses and cows to feed, then having time to just enjoy life.
She would love to have a husband and babies but that doesnt seem to be in her future, Her love went to Brad OBallivan long ago, Now she lives with the ghost of Angus McKettrick who urges her to find someone and have babies,
Brad OBallivan has left Nashville and his country music career to come home to his familys ranch in Stone Creek.
He wants a home, wife, and children and he wants that with Meg McKettrick, He knows he has to brave her wrath as well as that of her three cousins to get through to her.
He had been a scared broke young boy when he left but now he has the family ranch secure and is at least on the same playing field as the welltodo McKettricks.
Now he just has to figure out how to bust down the walls Meg has put up,
Can they have the life they both want or will fate intervene once more What havoc can Angus stir up
.