A Temporary Family

Sherri Shackelford

Mar 2017 · Harlequin

About this ebook

A former soldier just wants solitude, but a stranded beauty needs his protection—and his services as a pretend husband . . .

When Tilly Hargreaves and her three nieces are stranded at his small stagecoach station in an abandoned Nebraska town and threatened by outlaws, Nolan West must protect them. And the only way he can do that is by pretending he’s married to Tilly. But can the former solider, whose only wish is for solitude, stop himself from growing attached to his temporary family?

Tilly knows the charade is necessary to keep her and the girls safe, but now her heart is in danger. The longer she pretends the stoic station agent is her husband, the more genuine their union feels. Nolan believes he’s better off alone, but Tilly’s certain that if he’d only open his heart to his make-believe family, he’d want to claim them as his for real . . .

Ratings and reviews

Tilly Hargreaves has a fun, spunky personality. When she is in charge of her sisters kids, she feels like she will never live up to her sisters expectation (as usual). When she is put into a life or death situation she must depend on the standoffish, yet handsome station manager. Nolan West is fine in an abandoned town, yet when he is put to the test he will protect Tilly and her nieces at any cost. Nolan and Tilly must work together, despite their complete opposite personalities. This novel is full of excitement, mystery, suspense and more. I enjoyed getting to know both Nolan and Tilly better. They each have much to learn about themselves and each other, all while trying to keep a group of outlaws at bay. If you like mystery, suspense, historical romance books you will enjoy this one.

This was a different story than most of the Love Inspired Historicals. The cover of this book doesn't really "tell the story", or most of it anyway! Most of the story takes place at a lonely stagecoach stop where Nolan is the resident and takes care of the place and people who stop there. That's the way he likes it. He's been in the Civil War and survived the horrors he had to go through. All he wants is to be alone now. However, he doesn't plan on Tilly being stranded there with some children. He and Tilly have to pretended they are married due to a suspenseful situation. The whole story line is so engrossing! I loved the characters and the "peek" into Nolan's psyche. The suspense, the characters, the loneliness of the setting - I loved it all! Even Tilly had past issues she had to work through. There were so many struggles and triumphs! I highly recommend this book. You'll be glad you picked it up! It will keep you reading far into the night like it did me!

sweet story. a few typographical errors but they did not distract from the story. it definitely kept you interested all the way to the end.

About the author

A former naval reservist with a top-secret security clearance, Sherri Shackelford writes rapid-fire suspense featuring captivating characters and heart-pounding romance. She's authored more than a dozen novels, including both contemporary suspense and historical romance. Visit her at sherrishackelford.com or [e-mail].