A Creed In Stone Creek - Linda Lael Miller

Synopsis:
When single attorney Steven Creed becomes guardian of an orphaned five-year-old boy, he trades his big-city law firm for a ranch near his McKettrick kin in the close-knit community of Stone Creek, Arizona. Taking care of little Matt and fixing up his run-down ranch house with its old barn loosens something tightly wound inside him. But when Steven takes on the pro bono defense of a local teen, he meets his match in the opposing counsel—beautiful, by-the-book county prosecutor Melissa O'Ballivan. It'll take one grieving little boy, a sweet adopted dog and a woman who never expected to win any man's heart to make this Creed in Stone Creek know he's truly found home.

Review:

This is the first book in the new Stone Creed trilogy.  Even if you have never read any of the Creed or McKettrick books, you will love this new series.  Steven Creed is a stand up kind of man that takes on his best friends son when both the child's parents died.  Deciding that working the hours of a normal criminal attorney in a fancy firm is not in the best interest of Matt, he buys a spread in Stone Creek where his cousin that he recently reunited with also lives.  While in Stone Creed, Steven runs in to the town prosecutor, Melissa and sparks fly until they end up on the opposite side of the law, her the prosecutor and him the opposing counsel, then tempers flare.  Steven is very close with his twin cousins (Brody & Conner), who have their own issues to work out and having seen just a smidge of them in the first book, I can't wait to read their own.  Of course there is a little who-did-it and it is fairly obvious who actually did the do-ing, but I don't think that took away from the story at all.

Notable Quote:

..."What a lot of gobbledegook..." (Melissa's sisters trying to set her straight on men)

Rating:

I fell in love with Steven from page one.  He has everything a great hero has, but he is the best of the best since he actually doesn't know he is a hero.  The love story was great, and Matt stole the show in several scenes with his 5-year going on 50 speeches.  I would highly recommend this book as I would any of the Creed and McKettrick series books.  I can't wait for Creed's Honor, Connor's story, in June.