The Valentine Two-Step [Paperback]

And, thanks to the author's research, I actually felt a bit educated on some details about "alternative" veterinarian medicine, too, which is a plus.

With the Valentine Day's carnival coming up, two forth-graders decide it's the perfect opportunity to play matchmakers so they can become sisters. So they volunteer their respective parents to serve on the Valentine Day committee. Matt Harte doesn't understand the bond that his daughter has formed with Ellie Webster's daughter over the last three months any more than he understands the outrageous veterinarian practices that she has brought from California. New Age treatments are a long way from acceptance in the small town of Star Valley, Wyoming, as reflected by Ellie's light patient load. In fact, Matt finds Ellie to be annoying, opinionated, and argumentative. And he's wildly attracted to her, something he believes he neither wants nor needs.

Ellie had grown tired of someone else determining her treatments, and jumped at the offer to buy the small veterinarian practice. As a foster child she had learned to love animals that give back unconditionally, and dreamed of some day living in a place like she has now purchased in Star Valley. She has seen treatments like acupuncture work well, and believes in using such methods when warranted by circumstances. Moreover, she treasures her independence, and works hard to preserve it. She intends to fight her attraction for Matt. He is just like all the other ranchers in the area: skeptical of her ability to perform her job and achieve results. Then one of Matt's horse's needs care above and beyond what traditional medicine can accomplish, giving Ellie a chance to prove herself. But someone is watching who does not want Ellie in Star Valley, and will do anything to make her leave.

Like the lovely Disney film The Parent Trap, this parent trap works beautifully in THE VALENTINE TWO-STEP. Author RaeAnne Thayne has genuine understanding of children and how to make them both believable and entertaining. In addition, Matt is a wonderfully giving hero, eventually willing to risk everything despite having been burned badly. In fact, the story behind his marriage and the reason for his sister living with him gives the novel a nice punch. The unconventional treatments that initially alienate clients from Ellie's practice likewise add interest and an unexpected flair. Indeed, Thayne is a gifted storyteller whose realistic characters and absorbing dialogue weave a mesmerizing tale. A wonderful Valentine romance, THE VALENTINE TWO-STEP comes very highly recommended.