Wildflower Falls (Riverbend #4) by Denise Hunter

 

He’s here to train her horses and then skip town. She’s keeping her true identity a secret. But their spark complicates both of their plans.

When Charlotte Honeycutt, owner of Stillwater Ranch, discovered her deceased mother’s safety deposit box, she was not expecting life-changing news inside—the long-hidden identity of her biological father and the location of her two half brothers, Gavin and Cooper Robinson. While her father’s location is unknown, her brothers have grown up in Riverbend Gap, just as she did. Charlotte is determined to know them, but she is unsure how the revelation of a new sister might be received. Fortunately, her plans to build a new stable on her horse farm coincide with this dilemma since Robinson Construction is the only game in town, and she jumps at the chance.

Horse trainer Gunner Dawson is averse to the idea of settling down—or having lasting connections of any kind. His time at Stillwater Ranch is only meant to be temporary, but the young woman he finds there isn’t at all who he expected. Despite an inner warning that she might threaten his peace of mind, he accepts the task of getting her training program off the ground. Before long, he’s not only working at the stables—Charlotte has somehow dragged him into a search for her biological father. And Gunner soon discovers he was right about his peace of mind. Meanwhile, an abused horse tugs at his heart, Charlotte’s brother becomes a loyal friend, and the town of Riverbend Gap is getting some kind of strange hold over him. He’s always run from connections before, but this time leaving seems harder than ever before.

Both Charlotte and Gunner will have to be honest with others and themselves if they have any hope of the future they’re both starting to long for.

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It's book four in the Riverbend series!  I've been reading this series since the beginning and I love it.  I would recommend reading this series in order.  Backstory is so important with this one.  But, I think it could stand alone, you just won't have as much depth of understanding with all the characters.

It was so good to be in this small town again, with this community and this family.  I loved having all the characters I've come to know and enjoy around and involved in this story too.  Charlotte is such a great character.  She is so well rounded and hard working.  She cares on a deep level and I loved her.  Gunner has some heavy childhood trauma to deal with which we don't get the details about until pretty far into the story.  The characters all felt authentic and real, dealing with the bumps in the road the best they can.  And such a pretty setting, too.

The overall story is gentle in nature, flowing steady and sweet.  I loved it.

Content:  kissing.  Loss of parents.  Search for biological parent.