Saved by a Texas-Sized Wedding (Tots for Texans/50th Book)

When her cousin dies in a freak auto accident, Suzanne McCoy moves to their ranch in Cactus, Texas to raise their children. When she discovers her ranch hands are stealing from her, she fires them, but then realizes that she doesn't have a clue how to run a ranch--and whoever she turns to points her at handsome rancher Ryan Walker. Ryan has his hands full with his own ranch and with his three year old daughter, Beth whose birth mother abandoned them both over two years earlier. Suzanne's offer to handle housekeeping and babysitting in exchange for his taking over ranch management doesn't seem quite fair, but the matchmaking mothers of Cactus have him in their sights. And it isn't as if Suzanne is any hardship to look at. A marriage of convenience, with the emphasis on convenience, is perfect. It doesn't take long for Suzanne to realize that her feelings toward Ryan are anything but convenient. She falls in love with his daughter--and him. But could he ever be willing to open up to her, let her inside his shields, and really love her? When an unexpected challenge comes into their lives, she fears that she may never learn the answer as they have to play the role of the perfectly married couple. Author Judy Christenberry continually delights readers with heart-warming stories of marriage, children, and women who tame their men to some semblance of civilization. SAVED BY A TEXAS-SIZED WEDDING is a fast-reading pleasure.

I love the Tots for Texans series and this one doesn't disappoint. Mabel, Florence and the gang are up to their old matchmaking tricks.When her cousin died, Suzanne McCoy, a big city girl, became guardian of two small children and a ranch in Cactus, Texas. Suzanne is determined to keep the ranch afloat so the children will have their inheritance when they grow up. When she overhears the ranch foreman and hired hands discussing how they had already stolen from the ranch and were planning on taking more, Suzanne's temper flares to the point she gives them all fifteen minutes to get off the ranch. Knowing nothing about running a ranch, Suzanne seeks advice from the residence of Cactus, Texas. Everyone she talks to tells her the same thing; the person to talk to is Ryan Walker. Mabel Baxter goes so far as to tell her the solution is for her to marry Ryan.Ryan Walker's wife left him three years ago after giving birth to their daughter, Beth. Now that Beth is getting bigger, Ryan can no longer carry her everywhere he goes so he has to take her into town everyday to a sitter. When the sitter is offered a better paying job, Ryan decides he needs to hire a housekeeper. In step the meddling matchmakers. They convince everyone to go along with their plan to get Suzanne and Ryan hitched so there are no hired hands or housekeepers around to be hired. Suzanne thinks it would be a good trade for her to be Ryan's housekeeper and he and his staff work her ranch but Ryan is worried that Suzanne will marry some other guy and he'd just be back in the same boat. Ryan is convinced that a marriage of convenience is what would work best so he convinces Suzanne. When Ryan's ex-wife comes back and tries to take Beth, Ryan and Suzanne join forces and soon they become a family.The story moved along very nicely. Ryan and Suzanne were both great characters who are trying to do the best they can for the children in their lives. I liked the way the children were portrayed in this book. They were fairly main characters in the book and they were believable and very sweet. The speed with which the "matchmakers" decided on a pairing of Ryan and Suzanne was totally unbelievable but it did not detract from the story, it just allowed more time for the development of the relationship between the main characters.