On The Fence by Keri Ford

Years of contact only through email shows that people change in many ways, not just growing up on the outside. But that physical attraction sure can be hard to fight. Especially when the person is your childhood best friend all wrapped up in a pretty package!

If Shellie Chambers has to hear one more condescending comment from her mother about life or men, she might scream. She packs up and takes a trip to see her long-missed high school friend, Riley. He'll know exactly what she needs to loosen up. But instead of the girl-chasing jock she remembers from their youth, Riley’s gone country, keeping up a farm of his own.
Riley Hamilton has settled down on a farm his uncle left to him. Not the life he ever envisioned, but after getting a girl pregnant in college and then watching helplessly as the baby was aborted, he learned the hard way it was time to settle down. Shellie’s reentry into his life reminds of his wild past and it’s a fight to ignore the tempting woman Shellie has become.

Shellie Chambers mother is never happy with her. If her mother is not correcting her manner, then it’s how she dresses or what people will think of her. But the worse is that her mother was always obsessed with marrying a man with lots of money and now is try to find one (a man with money) for Shellie. She has been pushing Shellie under the nose of every moneyed man she can find for a while. Now she is planning a trip to ‘expose’ Shellie to even more rich men in the hopes of a rich son-in-law. Shellie has had enough and runs to her old friend for an escape and time off.

Riley Hamilton is Shellie’s childhood best friend. They grew-up together and he brought out the wild child in her. Her mother may have always pushed the straight and narrow on her, but Riley was the rule breaker (even if he kept her from getting caught at the same time). What she doesn’t know is that in college he got a girl pregnant and she aborted the baby against his wishes. He has never gotten over this and has gone super strict as a result. Inheriting his uncle’s farm in the little town of Apple Trail, AK has given him someplace to focus on. Riley refuses to be that wild and irresponsible boy anymore.

Shellie doesn’t understand what has happened to her friend. She still remembers that simple kiss from high school and finds herself attracted to Riley like she never expected. Even after learning about the lost baby, she thinks he has gone too far into this serious persona. He has showed he is attracted to her as well, but keeps fighting it. Is the old Riley even still in there anymore, or has she lost her friend completely? Do they stand a chance, or is he going to send her back to her controlling mother?

For a quick read, On The Fence gets us into the characters and their problems right from the start. I like how it’s pointed out that they have almost traded personalities from high school in that he is serious now and she is letting loose and trying to bring out his wild side. And while we never meet Shellie’s mother, boy is her voice still heard loud and clear! You know, I sometimes hear my mom correcting in my head too! At least my mom is nicer than the mother in this story. If I had to listen to someone like this mother all the time I would have run off as well.

For being the second book of the Apple Trail series, there if very little to do with Apple Trail itself or previous characters (very brief visit). And of course this is a stand alone story. I loved that there is literally an “On The Fence” moment tie-in with the title and thought that was cute.

On The Fence pleased me and made me happy to give Keri another try. I read Through The Wall (see review here) and it was only okay. On The Fence is MUCH better and I enjoyed it. I could feel the characters better this time and the story didn’t seem nearly as contrived. This is number two in a six part series, and I am now looking forward to the next story and seeing where things go from here!