Practical Marriage: Instant Families

John Lonigan has always been a drifter and he's musing about his fortieth birthday when a kid in faded jeans, tee-shirt and a ski mask, carrying a gun John sees isn't loaded, tries to rob the liquor store where he's working. The boy hands over a back pack, tells John to fill it up. John snatches the gun from his hands.Under questioning, John learns the boy's name is Jason, that he is ten years old, that his parents are dead, that the gun used to belong to his father and that he and his younger sister Mara are being raised by his Aunt Abby, and that his Aunt is having a hard time of things. That's why he tried to rob the store, to help out.Abby Taylor is having bad day, but she can't let little Mara know. Abby is a twenty-six year old woman raising her brother's two children alone. Jason tries to help when he can, but he is only ten and his younger sister hasn't spoken a word since her parent's death.To make her day worse, she finds a stranger waiting for her when she gets home and the stranger has Jason in tow. Abby is crushed when she finds out what Jason has attempted, but grateful John hads't called the police. John on the other hand is captivated by the young family. He starts coming around, fixing things around the house, buying the Taylors dinner. Jason starts to see John as a father figure and silent Mara takes to him too.Then the children's maternal grandparents decided they want the children and they claim Abby is unfit to raise them. John interferes with information he's learned about them, but to permanently keep them at bay, he offers to marry Abby. It would be an arrangement that would be good for the children, plus if they put their salaries together, they could live quite comfortably. It would be a practical marriage.But, of course, our hero and heroine are drawn more to each other than they realize and when Mara finally speaks one night at dinner, they know a miracle has occurred. How will that miracle affect them? Will their marriage turn into the real deal?I just loved this book. Ms. Shulze has given us characters that are believable and enjoyable to spend time with. She has delivered suspense in spades and her writing style is first rate. Five stars from me for this one.A Harlequin Dreamers Review by Vesta Irene