I love the BFF to more trope + Maisey is a go to for sorbet, so it was win win.

I liked Selena and Knox. They both have a serious and hurtful backstory and I loved the history between them. Of course they’ve always been attracted to each other, but never acted on it, so you can only imagine the UST that was floating around.

Plot wise, it was a bit more drama and angsty than I would have liked, but I did enjoy reading them figure things out. And the epilogue was very sweet.

Overall, it was a short, quick read with characters I really liked.

**Huge thanks to Harlequin for providing the arc free of charge**

Let's analyze the title for just a moment shall we? There is no actual ranching going on in this book. There is also very little to do with a baby, although it does happen by the end. This is a great billionaire tale about best friends who deserve to be more. Knox and Selena have been friends since adolescence, have both been married to other people, and are both self-made successful business people.

This is part of a larger collection of stories so even though it is complete and can be read alone, there are bits of story line that remain either unanswered or lacking details. It is a short, fun read that is perfect for an afternoon of relaxing.

I saw this book on bookish first and had read the first chapter was was interested and then I received this from netgalley and it really didn't get me excited. I read it in a day since my kindle app told me I could read it in 2 hours but it still just didn't excite me as much reading it as that first chapter. It reads almost like every other stereotypical romance.

Normally I completely love Maisey Yates but this one was a hard read. The secondary story with the falsely reported dead ex-husband didn't do anything for me and the H was a complete jerk.

Selena Jacobs has never really made time to find love, always putting something before it, or making excuses of why she is isn't ready for it, all because she bare witness to what happens when love goes wrong when she was just a young girl. Watching her parents marriage unravel left her brokenhearted and not wanting to ever go through that herself, so she has always taken the safe route when it comes to men, especially with her best friend Knox. When they met back in college, she knew instantly that if given the chance he could be her "one", but they were both too young and busy for that so she kept him waiting in the wings as her friend, and then she wound up making a choice that eventually pushed him into the arms of another woman. From that point on he became off limits for anything other than friendship, but circumstances are different for them both now, and she thinks she is finally ready to give them a shot... problem is Knox just ended a marriage and can't find it in himself to offer her anything more, now she must decide if it is really worth the risk?

The Rancher's baby is a sweet and touching tale that is sure to give you the feels and tug on your heartstrings! The well crafted story line centers around two friends that have always harbored secret crushes for one another, and never had the courage to act on those feelings... until now. Watching these two dance around one another was quite entertaining, "the will they, won't they" dance kept me on the edge of my seat in anticipation. And while they danced the sparks arched around them, and things took a spicy little turn, one that had me in need of a fan...these two really knew how to crank up the heat!! I really enjoyed this newest installment to the Texas Cattlemen's Club series, it was a perfectly balanced romance read that left me craving more, so I forsee a return trip in the very near future! Highly recommend this one!!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this title.

Rating 4.5

An emotional and moving love story.

Okay, get the box of kleenex out for this one.

This is a love story that packs a lot of emotional heartache, has some intense emotional scenes and yet delivers the sweetest kind of love and friendship one can hope for.

Knox and Selena both have had a difficult and agonizing childhood. The two meet at college and begin a friendship that spans decades. Knox and Selena become best of friends, even though each is secretly drawn/attracted to the other. But they cherish their friendship too much to take it to the next level and Selena has trust issue from her past, so she's not ready to let her guard down . While in college she is faced with a death of her grandfather (who supported and helped her attend college) and the need to marry to continue her finical independence from her Father (who is abusive and controlling). She considers asking Knox but realizes she was to fearful of loosing his friendship as well the strong possibility of her falling totally in love with him and being consumed by that need. A fear she has of repeating her mothers mistakes. Her mother had an all consuming love, a total loss of reasoning as well as loosing her independence to her abusive husband (again Selena's trust issues). Plus her mother never protected her daughter from the abuse. So Selena shares her dilemma with a mutual friend that Knox and her know. He offers to marry in name only to assist her. She accepts and they are only married for a year and divorce, but the two end their marriage in an unfavorable manner. During that time Knox marries and has a child. But heartbreak follows as Knox losses his toddler daughter to cancer and his marriage dissolves under the heartbreak and they divorce.

Over the years (ten years from the time the two become friends in college) Selena and Knox have remained best friends. Staying in contact and always being their for each other through thick and thin. It was Selena that was their for Knox during his daughters funeral and was his rock when he broke down (this was so gut wrenching to read). (view spoiler).

We open with Selena attending her ex husbands funeral. Knox arrives for support and to just be their for Selena (Selena never told Knox that her marriage wasn't real). We learn that her ex is alive and something fishy is going on as several woman including Selena receive a letter stating that they are the sole person receiving the estate/monies from Will (Selena's ex). Knox finds this troubling and is concerned about Selena's safety and decides he's going to stay with her for a while until this gets cleared up.

During the time the two are together they both realize they are at a crossroads in life. Selena has finally gained total independence, purchased her own home and feels she's finally healing and coming to a place of wholeness. Knox has been dealing with over two years of grief, heartache and gut wrenching loss. He's being going through the motions but being with Selena he's being to sense something new. The two slowly begin to open up and share truths from their past, the heartache and pain each had experienced during childhood. They both realize that they were attracted to each other during college but were to fearful too lose their best friend. A lot of tears and difficult conversations ensue as well as a spark and attraction each has held in check for over a decade and buried deep inside themselves. It all comes to the surface and blossoms into a richer and deeper love then each could have ever imagined or hoped for.

Wow, I can't even put into words the depth of each character or the emotional charge these two's love story packs. It was beautiful in that these two had a friendship and connection that spanned years of life's tragedies and heartache. Yet neither gave up on each other and were always, always their when one need to be. I love how much their friendship meant but when they truly opened their hearts and finally came to a place of healing and acceptance of their past what blossomed was even more beautiful and precious.

There where a couple issue I had about the story line that were somewhat weak. I found the ex-husband and him not really being dead, the letter, as well as the possible suspense behind it kind of flimsy. But the emotional impact and character depth and development out weighted all those issue. The pacing was excellent, the story line was rich with emotion and angst. This love story was one that brought me to tears and was so very emotionally satisfying. The epilogue was beautiful and a wonderful ending to their romance!!!!!!

This book had me intrigued from page 1. After seeing the cover, I knew I needed to check out the blurb. After reading the blurb, I knew I had to start reading the book. And once I got to the end? I was sad that it stopped. This is a fantastic addition to Harlequin's novels and I enjoyed it immensely. I have read a few of the authors novels in the past and will say that's she a great writer. But this book stood out to me a little bit more. Perhaps it's the characters? The mysterious aspects of the book? Or something else. I can't pinpoint it but I do know I loved this book!