A Loving Man by Cait London
Silhouette Desire # 1382 - August 2001
All her life, Rose has run from commitment; engaged three times but never making it to the alter. She generously helps everyone in her community, even to the point of finding mates for those ex-fiances. Stefan has reached a stage in his life where he is finally confident in leaving the hands-on running of his restaurant chain to his General Manger. So in the Spring he buys an old farmstead in Missouri, and brings his mother and 20 yr old daughter for the country life they had been craving. On the third day, he runs into Rose at her paint and flooring store. And for the first time in the ten years since his wife had died, Stefan finds himself excited to be near a woman. To Rose, Stefan is too dangerous, he'll leave for the city at the end of the summer. Yet seeing the loneliness in him, Rose has to battle her instincts to want to take care of him.
I fell in love with Stefan from the get go. He's adorably confused by the women in his life; his mother, daughter and now the feisty Rose. There are some laugh-out-loud moments as Rose barrels into Stefan's orderly life; the chaos is truly delightful. I loved the town feel, and the way Ms. London used her secondary characters to make Stefan and Rose real and vulnerable people. This was a wonderful feel good read.
Please note .... the previous reviewer has this book confused with The Loving Season, also by Cait London and a Silhouette Desire .. but that is a totally different book and not at all related to this one.
