A Worthy Pursuit by Karen Witemeyer

Charlotte Atherton is disappointed when the school she works at closes its doors unexpectedly. Having been given guardianship of Lily, one of the young students, Charlotte is afraid that Lily's grandfather is behind the closing of the school. Charlotte is determined that Lily's grandfather not be able to get his hands on Lily. Charlotte sets out to protect Lily and two other students in her charge by disappearing in the middle of the night.

Stone Hammond is a retriever/bounty hunter. Hunting down Charlotte and Lily has taken some time, but he finally has them in his sights. Expecting a ruthless kidnapper in Charlotte, Stone is not prepared for the way Lily and the other two children care for her and how much Charlotte cares for them. Stone has a reputation to keep as the man who always gets his quarry, and this is his last retrieval before he settles down with land and a home of his own. Despite what Charlotte says about Lily's mom giving custody to Charlotte, Stone refuses to be taken in by her and must find out for himself if her claims are true. What Stone doesn't count on is his heart becoming involved with Charlotte and the children.

I really enjoyed this story. I loved the characters from the beginning. Lily is hysterical with her love of dime store novels and excitement at meeting one(or two) of her heroes. Charlotte is likeable even though she has a lot of issues with trust. And I absolutely love Stone. He starts out a little gruff, but it isn't long before his soft side shows itself. I think that is what makes him loveable, he's tough enough to protect Charlotte and the kids, but yet confident enough to show his soft side to them as well. Of course there is also the element of suspense that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. I'm definitely a fan of Karen Witemeyer's writing and always look forward to a new book from her.