Wanted: Texas Daddy by Cathy Gillen Thacker

All small towns have their secrets. No one in Laramie, Texas knows about Sage Lockhart’s friends-with-benefits relationship with the handsome cowboy, Nick Monroe. However, Sage wants something more from Nick—something that could change the very nature of their arrangement. She wants to have his baby.

Nick has always wanted to take things with Sage to the next level. Having a child wasn’t exactly what he had in mind, but it’s an adventure he can’t refuse. Of course, neither of them realized just how complicated things could get.

Now, with a baby on the way and all of their careful plans unraveling, Sage and Nick must face the one secret they’ve been hiding from themselves…and from each other.

Publisher: Western Romance | Genre: Contemporary Romance | Source: MLM Media | Rating: 3 Cups

Friends-with-benefits can get a little messy at times, especially when a baby is involved. Honestly, I found myself wanting to shake both Sage and Nick and tell them to use their words.

 

Here’s what’s going on. Sage wants a baby but she wants to know her baby’s daddy, so no trip to the sperm bank for her. In fact, she has her eye on the perfect father: her best friend Nick, who just happens to be the other half of her friends-with-benefits.  Nick’s always wanted to see where a real relationship with Sage would lead, but a baby wasn’t exactly on his mind. After a bit of convincing, Nick finally agrees but neither one of them expected just how complicated friends-with-benefits-who-have-a-baby could be.

 

Seriously, people, use your words. Especially when entering into an arrangement like this. Sage and Nick are so head-over-heels for each other it’s maddening but they just won’t admit it. It’s enough to make me want to scream at my book: USE. YOUR. BLOODY.WORDS.

 

Conflict resulting from lack of communication annoys me to no end. And Sage and Nick seem to be pros at it. From the first chapter it was obvious that Nick and Sage both wanted more from each other than just a baby but they spent the entire book keeping it under wraps, getting angry at each other, and advoiding the truth.

 

I liked Sage and Nick. They were great people with drive and heart and heat. They knew what they wanted professionally and went after it with all their might. They really should have put that type of drive into opening up to each other because they were great together, they just didn’t use their words.

 

Overall, while I liked the premise and the characters, this book was frustrating. If you’re ready to have a baby together, then you should be adult enough to have an actual conversation.  

About the Author: CATHY GILLEN THACKER is a full-time wife, mother and author who began writing stories during “nap time” when her children were toddlers. She wrote seven books as she taught herself how to be an author, and her eighth attempt was published in 1982. Since then she has written and published more than 70 novels. 

 

Chipotle Chicken Roll-Ups

From the Kitchen of Cathy Gillen Thacker

Spread flour tortillas with thin layer of chipotle mayonnaise.  Sprinkle on shredded Monterey jack, and Cheddar cheese.  Add shredded roast chicken, thinly sliced tomato, red onion, avocado, and cilantro.  Roll up, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to eat.   (Available for a quick lunch at Sage’s bistro, The Cowgirl Chef café.)