Buckled (Trails of Sin #2) ~ Pam Godwin

I protect what’s mine.
The ranch, my family, our buried secrets.

Nothing will stop me from reassembling the life that went terribly wrong.
Not the law.
Not our enemies.
Not even Maybe Quinn.

The gorgeous, quarrelsome journalist shouldn’t have meddled.
I shouldn’t have let her stay.
But she’s hiding something in those deceptive blue eyes.
Something deeper than her thirst for a news story.

I make a deal with her to buy time.
To unravel her lies. To play with her. To satisfy my darker appetites.
When she buckles beneath my belt, I’ll send her away.
Unless I buckle first.

I just love these cowboys! Seeing Jake and Conner again was fantastic, but seeing Jarret's continuation of the story was just excellent. This was not as dark and twisted as the first in the series, but it does deal with the fall out. 

I was constantly wondering how or why Maybe came Sandbank, Oklahoma and I know that she was not expecting Jarret Holsten. The secrets between them kept me on the edge of my seat and while we think we know all Jarret's secrets, their domino effect still threw me for a loop. There were a lot of times where my mouth just hung open in shock. 

Jarret and Maybe had major chemistry from their first meeting. While I know why Jarret was trying to warn her away, Maybe kept showing up. Jarret finally gave in to the old cliche, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Jarret was loyal, self-less and compassionate. He's a great man, but he was the enemy for Maybe. 

"A man cannot be good unless he possesses the capacity to be evil. Decency is a choice."

I loved Maybe's stubborn and persistent character. I will admit, there were times where that persistence got her in a lot of trouble. While being very independent, she needed Jarret, but had a difficult time admitting it. While I don't agree with some of her actions, I do feel they were necessary. 

Both of Maybe and Jarret's lives have heartbreak and tragedy. Some of the heartbreak, they caused each other. It was so hard to watch each of them struggle knowing they were trying to do what was right for the other. Their story was passionate and intense. It was well written and exciting. I cannot wait for Lorne's book!!