By: Ronlyn Howe and Shelly EstesLogan Doyle busting into Megan West’s cousin’s wedding while shouting, “Stop the wedding!” does not endear him to her. Regardless of the fact that he’s there not to stop Faith’s wedding, but his grandfather’s pending nuptials to Megan’s grandmother. The misunderstandings spin out of control as Buddy (Logan’s grandfather) learns that his lark of a second marriage wasn’t actually annulled (pesky paperwork) and Megan learns that the mother she thought died when she was a toddler is actually still alive. Megan races from the hotel and runs smack dab into Logan who just can’t help himself from swooping in to aid the damsel in distress. He loads her into a vintage Chevy she can’t help but drool over and takes her on an adventure she’ll never forget.
After pancakes and a brief internet search the duo head off to the Butterfly Ranch, a brothel owned by a woman who once knew Megan’s mother, to see if she can provide more information than the information highway…which seems pretty barren in regards to Megan’s missing mother. After leaving the ranch the classic Chevy suddenly breaks down, stranding them in what could probably be argued to be the smallest town in Nevada, where Logan & Megan have to talk their way out of a shotgun wedding-literally. The town, aptly named “Last Resort” has one of those outdated silly laws on the books that implies you can’t sleep in the same room while unmarried…despite only being one motel room available. Megan manages to leave town with a suitcase full of vintage clothes and a treasured tea cup, while Logan has a tenuous hold on his anger and pride.
Once back in Chicago and their normal routines they try to continue as was before, only to have to fight this growing attraction to each other while dealing with Megan’s dislike for the police (which causes Logan to take things super slow) and Buddy’s unknown marriage. Megan’s family is still up in arms over not only Buddy’s “mistreatment” of their matriarch, but the secret of Megan’s mother being revealed. Logan is struggling with his own demons in the form of nightmares and guilt over his former partner’s death. Toss in the fact that Logan continues to get paged every time things start to heat up between the two it doesn’t take long for the sexual tension begin to take on a life of its own.
There’s an obvious theme in the book of family is more important than any misunderstandings and to forgive and forget, moving on to the happily ever after, that everything will work out in the end, et al.
The sweetest moment in the entire book for me was when Logan just blurted out “I love you” to Megan, then got flustered because it wasn’t how he’d planned to tell her. That he had to throw the words out to her in that moment showed exactly how much he’d come to love her.
Shelly's Recipes:
Chocolate Marzipan Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 7 ounces marzipan, cut into chunks
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• powdered sugar, for dusting
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor, combine both sugars and marzipan. Process until they resemble a fine sand, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add butter, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, salt and egg.
3. Use an electric mixer to beat until smooth, scraping down the bowl, once during mixing, about 2 minutes.
4. Add flour and cocoa powder and mix until incorporated, scraping down once during mixing, about 1 minute. The dough should be very stiff. Baking in batches, drop 1 tablespoons balls of dough on prepared sheet, leaving about 2-inches around all sides. bake on the oven's lower rack until cookies are flat and have a crackled surface, about 10 minutes.
5. The cookies will be very soft. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. If desired, once cookies are cool, dust them with powdered sugar.
AND
SHORTBREAD
4 cups flour
1 cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 pound Imperial Margarine (this time the brand makes a difference)
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then mix in the Imperial.
Dough will be sticky.
Dust your hands and a board (this time I use more confectioners' sugar). Take about 1/3 of dough at a time. Pat out until about 1/4" thick. (They don't really rise.) Cut into squares or rectangles with a pizza wheel, or use your favorite small cookie cutter. (These are rich
- - best to keep them about 1"x2") Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8 - 10 minutes until golden brown. Remove to cooling rack covered with wax paper. Sift more confectioners' sugar on top.
These store best in a tin since they sometimes crumble. They can be frozen.
Yield: About 8 dozen
