Gray Everett and his brothers have lived a life of misery. Their father was mean and unhappy and made everyone around him miserable. When his father finally died, Gray needed a plan to keep the land he loved and support for his motherless teenage daughter, so he came up with a practical plan, marriage of convenience to long time neighbor Abby Douglas.
She also had a hard life, her mother was not one to be proud of ...and she never married, so he thought she'd jump on his offer.
Abby has loved him from afar ...since forever, but isn't sure she could handle a cold marriage, so she tells him it's not a good idea. But Gray really is invested in his plan and convinces her to go for it.
Amazingly his daughter, Becca, is thrilled by the idea, as is her grandmother. Not so her mother who pops up and is nastily negative, giving Abby doubts.
But Abby's sweet loving nature and honesty makes Gray fall hard for her, maybe he had already and just didn't know it.
Covering family dysfunction, people of good character, friendly neighbors, Abby and Becca each dealing with their issues with their mothers, both mothers being selfish good time girls.
I requested and was granted an ARC from NetGalley and enjoyed not only the love story but the way Abby healed the whole Everett family.

Well this is a depressing beginning.

Sheesh, how many lovers did his wife have?

Abby's grandmother sounds like a lot of fun.

So. Awkward.

If anything, at least she'll have her grandpa's land back.

I hear ya, honey. I always imagined I would do well as a spinster companion to an old lady.

Settling for an unrequited marriage isn't the answer for everyone.

I'm glad her "chauffeurs" didn't listen to her.

Lily is just a jealous hag.

Colorado lets couples marry themselves? Isn't that kind of depressing?

What the heck's wrong with decorating for Christmas?

So sex is going to be what their marriage is about. Got it.

He expects her to get mad when he doesn't respond to her declaration of love, but he doesn't get that she doesn't expect love from anyone but her grandmother.

I want to give Becca such a big hug. Then dig Amos up and punch his corpse five or six hundred times.

He does a good apology, that is for sure.

I received an arc from Netgalley. When a man endured verbal abuse most of his life he does not feel worthy of love or even know how to display his love. When a woman goes through the same verbal abuse by her so called mother she also doubts she will ever be loved.

When Gray and Abby meet and make an agreement they have no idea how much their lives are going to change and how much love can change all kinds of circumstances. Becca is also a light that brings them together.

Great read of love, hope and forgiveness.