The Firefighter's Pretend Fiancee

Ben and Molly had BIG dreams. Ben was going to become a firefighter and support them, while Molly went on to medical school. They were going to get married and have kids, until it all fell apart. Fast forward nine years...Molly has returned to Shadow Creek, Montana to work as a pediatrician at the new state of the art children's hospital. She knows her relationship with her mother is beyond repair, but she hopes they can at least be civil to each other. While she doesn't expect Ben to welcome her with open arms, she's hoping to at least apologize to him for past mistakes. Apologize and hope for forgiveness. Ben had heard Molly was back in town, but he'd avoided seeing her....until she crashed into him spilling coffee all over him. Ben always thought Molly was the most beautiful girl he's ever seen, but the woman she's become is stunning. Ben doesn't want to hate Molly and what she did to them, he even thought he'd moved on, but realizes he'll never love another woman like he did Molly. When his mom's health and his dream job is threatened, he and his brother (mostly his brother) concoct a scheme. Ben will ask Molly to marry him so he can be seen as a family man. But will Molly agree? While I own several Victoria James novels, this was my first Shadow Creek novel to read. I can't wait to go back and read the others! This is one of the best second chance romances I've read. I honestly don't know if I could've done what Molly did for Ben. He was so consumed by hurt, that he was so mean to Molly in the beginning. Molly had trusted her mom with her secrets, but her mom steered her wrong. Nine years of wasted time, hurt, secrets, lies, lost love...was devastating. Molly not only pushed Ben away, she pushed her sisters, her best friends, away. I loved how Ben handled the truth and rallied behind Molly while encouraging her to tell her sisters the truth. The story was very well written, easy to read, and not too wishy-washy. I read a gifted copy and all opinions stated are my own.