Any Day Now (Robyn Carr)

For Sierra Jones, Sullivan's Crossing is meant to be a brief stopover. She's put her troubled past behind her but the path forward isn't yet clear. A visit with her big brother Cal and his new bride, Maggie, seems to be the best option to help her get back on her feet.

Not wanting to burden or depend on anyone, Sierra is surprised to find the Crossing offers so much more than a place to rest her head. Cal and Maggie welcome her into their busy lives and she quickly finds herself bonding with Sully, the quirky campground owner who is the father figure she's always wanted. But when her past catches up with her, it's a special man and an adorable puppy who give her the strength to face the truth and fight for a brighter future. In Sullivan's Crossing, Sierra learns to cherish the family you are given and the family you choose.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.

Review

I loved What We Find, the first book in the Sullivan’s  Crossing series, so I was excited to read book two, Any Day Now. And I wasn’t disappointed. Once again, Robyn Carr has crafted a small-town romance with sensitivity, warmth, and plenty of heart.

Sierra Jones has had her problems in life. As Cal’s youngest sister, she has struggled to deal with her loving but dysfunctional parents: her father is schizophrenic and unmedicated; her mother is his codependent protector and enabler. It’s no surprise, therefore, that Sierra has a few issues of her own. But she’s gotten help, and now she’s embarking on a new life, taking things one day at a time with courage and determination.

Sullivan’s Crossing campground and the nearby town of Timberlake are a good place to do just that. To start with, there’s the beauty of the Colorado Rockies. Sully, the campground’s proprietor (as well as Maggie’s father), is a wise, gruff older man with a teddy bear heart, and Sierra finds in him the father figure she never really had. She meets a few other new friends around the Crossing and the town: Lola, a fellow waitress; Tom Canaday, the contractor in charge of converting Cal and Maggie’s barn into a beautiful home; Moody, another crusty older gentleman who takes her under his wing; and Conrad—Connie for short.

Connie is a firefighter and paramedic. Honest, straightforward, dependable, and as sweet as they come, he’s perfect for Sierra. He’s playful but doesn’t play mindgames; he says what he means, keeps his word, and treats Sierra (and pretty much everyone else) with respect and integrity. I’d fall for him myself if I weren’t already married to someone just as wonderful.

I also love Sierra. She’s intelligent, honest about her issues even with herself, and smart enough to reach out for help when she needs it. She’s braver than she knows, and fierce when she needs to be. . . like when she rescues an mistreated puppy. And I admire the courage and dignity with which she rebuilds her life and faces up to her past.

Speaking of which, it turns out that there’s more in Sierra’s past than she has told anyone about, and that past comes back to haunt her. Luckily, she has Connie, Cal, Maggie, and Sully for support, not to mention her newly-adopted dog Molly. The escalating tension and danger in the last third of the book came as something of a surprise, but I trust Robyn Carr, and sure enough, everything turns out all right in the end. (And honestly, that’s not a spoiler. It’s a romance, for heaven’s sake; it’s not going to end badly.)

I also enjoyed the quiet secondary romance involving Tom Canaday, the contractor and single dad who we first met in What We Find. I had been hoping he’d get his own book, but Carr weaves their romance in as a separate-and-subsidiary story that gives the small-town setting more depth and reality.

I’m very curious about who will feature in the next book. Maybe Cal and Sierra’s brother Dakota, just deployed to the Middle East? We meet him briefly in this book, but he would make an interesting main character later on. Or perhaps one of Connie’s fellow firefighters, or Tom’s oldest son Jackson? (He’s still in college, so probably not.) I guess I’ll have to wait until next spring to find out!

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