"Blue Ribbon Rating: 4.5"

The story opens with Emma Smith and Deke Travers crashing their trucks into each other in a middle of a rainstorm. This is not good for Emma. It was the middle of the night. She was trying to get to the store before it closed. She needed to get milk for fifteen-month-old Sammie Jo. Her wet t-shirt is clinging to her like a second skin. She has no insurance on the truck, so she gives Deke the money from her meager paycheck to fix the broken headlight on his truck. All he wanted was her driver's license and an apology.

Living in the small town of Devil's Corner, Deke knows everyone. He becomes suspicious of Emma immediately. She is driving the truck that belongs to Bertha Martin. He suspects that the truck is stolen, and just has to report it. Later, when Emma arrived back at Bertha's house with the milk, the sheriff is there.

Deke does not see Emma again for two months. He goes into the Lone Star Cafe for breakfast and discovers Emma is the cook. Bertha notices Deke watching Emma and asks him if he's interested. Deke, of course, denies it but figures if Emma was in their home as a housekeeper and cook, then one of his brothers might just settle down and get married. The best laid plans of mice and men¦ When the regular cook, Andy comes back to work in the Lone Star Cafe, Deke along with Bertha, convinces Emma that a cook and housekeeper is needed by the Travers family so, she starts out for the 4 Bar None Ranch. Surprise!! Her truck breaks down miles from the ranch, and Deke comes riding on horseback to rescue her. He sees Sammiee Jo and is shocked, but takes it right in stride as if he sees a baby every day.

Sammiee Jo is a delight and brings the family closer, if that's possible. Emma has some problems that she should share with Deke, but does not. Emma is an excellent cook and the all the cowboys are very satisfied with her. Deke suspects that Emma is running from something or someone.

Why won't she let Sammiee Joe's grandparents see her? Why is she so uncomfortable sometimes around Sammie Jo?

This was absolutely one of the most delightful stories I have read in a long time. Ms. Hestand writes so well that you feel you are part of the family. You feel their love, and you feel their physical pain. This reviewer must admit I got out the tissues a couple of times. I laughed with them and I cried. These were happy tears. I look forward to reading and reviewing any future books that Ms. Hestand writes. I must give this 4.5. ~ Reviewed By Phyllis Ingram for Romance Junkies

Review #2

When Emma Smith ran into Deke Travers...I mean literally ran into him, she had no idea what the future had in store for her. Emma, a young mother, alone and on-the-run, drove headlong into a ranch filled with handsome brothers. They needed a cook and she, the money-attorney fees to fight for baby, Sammie Joe. While eldest brother Deke planned on pairing Emma up with Clint, his own heart seems to be his worst adversary in making it happen. Deke changes Emma's life in way she would never have believed possible.

Author, Rita Hestand, has created a charmingly entertaining story in Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, Travers Brothers Book 1. It's light-hearted, packed with emotions, and well-written. Ms. Hestand's descriptions are so vivid, I swear I could smell Deke's woodsy aftershave, and sense Emma's heartbeat when they first kissed. I'm happy to see 'Travers Brothers Book 1' after the title-I'll be looking forward to the continuation.

Overall rating: 3 1/2 stars

Sensuality rating: Sweet

~ Reviewed By Brett Scott for The Romance Studio

Review # 3

Title: Chief Cook and Bottle Washer

Author: Rita Hestand

Publisher: Writers Exchange E-Publishing

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publication date: 2003

ISBN: 1-920741-37-2

Rating: 4 1/2

Reviewer: Christine Ventura (from Euro-Reviews)

Emma Smith is on the run. When her cousin Katie had died, she had left her baby, Sammie Jo, to Emma’s care. Unfortunately, even though Sammie Jo’s father hadn’t given a damn, her very wealthy grandparents did and they wanted to see her. Although Sammie Jo was left in the care of Emma, she knew that her legal position with the baby was shaky at best. Until she could find a way to make sure that Sammie Jo was not going to be taken away from her, she was going to keep running. Emma had kept on running until she reached Devil’s Corner, a small town that was more like a community than anything else. With the kind heart of the local café owner, Bertha, Emma is able to secure a job as a cook in that same café. But when the old cook that has been with Bertha for over ten years returns, Emma seems to be left high and dry until a man named Deke Travers comes along and solves the problem for everyone: he was going to hire Emma as their cook since their ranch needed one badly. Emma has always been the chief cook and bottle washer for her father and three brothers. Now she was going to be the chief cook and bottle washer for the handsome and attractive Deke Travers, his three brothers, their father and the rest of the men in 4 Bar None Ranch.

Deke Travers was a rancher, a man who believed in home and hearth and what he wanted most in life was for his brothers to gradually settle down one-by-one. Clint, his daring and devil-may-care brother needed a woman to help him settle down and keep him away from the dangerous rodeos and all sorts of trouble that his wandering spirit seems to encounter. Knowing that he was going to have to take matters into his own hands, he decided that he was going to try his hand at matchmaking. Clint and Emma looked like a good match. But why is it that whenever he saw them together he felt a tightness in his heart, as if something he cared about was being ripped from his chest?

I enjoyed reading this book very much. Emma is very sweet and Deke ever the gentleman. There were moments in the book that you could just picture in your mind—they were so vivid and beautifully crafted. One of these moments was when Deke took Sammie Jo to bed and talked to her. He was so sweet gentle and you just know in your heart that he was going to be a really good father. Also, the scenes where the Travers brothers are mentioned really highlight the differences between each unique character. A mark of writing excellence. Rita Hestand is a very talented author who writes really good, heart-warming stories. The Travers men are amazing and I looking forward to reading more of them!