Cowboy Crazy (28 page)
Authors: Joanne Kennedy
So many people to thank, so little space! I could fill an entire book with gratitude for all the people who helped me bring Lane and Sarah’s story to life.
I’m forever grateful to the Frontier Days Committee for allowing me to experience the rodeo up close, and to Ian St. Clair of the
Wyoming
Tribune
Eagle
for showing me around and doing his best to keep me out of trouble. Not an easy task, but he managed it.
I could (and probably should) fill pages with the names of the thousands of volunteers who help transform our town into the center of the rodeo universe on the last week in every July. Their dedication and spirit of community keep the cowboy way alive.
My editor Deb Werksman has, as always, guided this story to be the best it can be. And I am truly grateful for the support of my wonderful agent, Elaine English. Few writers find the right agent on their first try. I was lucky.
Writers need other writers, and my writing friends and critique partners have helped me through a challenging year. Thanks to Jeana Byrne, Amanda Cabot, Tina Forkner, Mary Gillgannon, Liz Roadifer, Mike Shay, and Marjie Smith.
Special thank to Cie Patterson and her daughter, the real Samantha, who will always be my friends no matter what. Also thanks to Colette Auclair for the rants and to Laura Macomber for letting me share her wonderful Wyoming family. And to my farther-flung family, Scott McCauley and Aminda O’Hare, and all the Fleurys big and small.
I’m grateful to my parents, Don and Betty Smyth, for their patience, love, and support while I floundered around figuring out what I’m supposed to do with my life. And to my sister Carolyn, for showing me people like us could write real stories. Remember Tivvy the Dog? I was so impressed. I still am.
But the biggest, most heartfelt thank-you of all goes to Scrape McCauley. You are the reason I write about love and the heart of everything I do.
Joanne
Kennedy
is the author of four Western contemporary romances:
Tall, Dark and Cowboy
,
Cowboy
Fever
,
One
Fine
Cowboy
(nominated for A RITA award for best single title contemporary), and
Cowboy
Trouble
. A transplanted Easterner, she ran away from home to the West at the advanced age of thirty-two and was delighted to discover that cowboys are real, and chaps are leather pants with no seat.
At various times, she dabbled in horse training, chicken farming, organic gardening, and bridezilla wrangling at a department store wedding registry. Themes that have remained constant throughout her life are Jack Russell terriers, a tendency to confuse fiction with real life, and a stubborn belief in romance that led to multiple dysfunctional relationships before she finally got it right.
Now older and hopefully wiser, she lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with two dogs and a retired fighter pilot. The dogs are relatively well-behaved.
Joanne loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website,
www.joannekennedybooks.com.
Tall, Dark and Cowboy
by Joanne Kennedy
She’s looking for an old friend…
In the wake of a nasty divorce, Lacey Bradford heads for Wyoming where she’s sure her old friend will take her in. But her high school pal Chase Caldwell is no longer the gangly boy who would follow her anywhere. For one thing, he’s now incredibly buff and handsome, but that’s not all that’s changed…
What she finds is one hot cowboy…
Chase has been through tough times and is less than thrilled to see the girl who once broke his heart. But try as he might to resist her, while Lacey’s putting her life back together, he’s finding new ways to be part of it.
Praise for
Cowboy Fever
:
“HOT, HOT, HOT…with more twists and turns than a buckin’ bull at a world class rodeo, lots of sizzlin’ sex, and characters so real you’ll swear they live down the road!” —Carolyn Brown,
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author of
Red’s Hot Cowboy
One Hot
Cowboy Wedding
by Carolyn Brown
A marriage made in Vegas…
Hunky cowboy Ace Riley wasn’t planning on settling down, but his family had other plans for him…The only way to save his hide, and his playboy lifestyle, is to discreetly marry his best friend, Jasmine King.
Can’t possibly last…
Feisty city-girl Jasmine was just helping out her friend—that is, until their first kiss stirs up a whole mess of trouble, and suddenly discretion is thrown to wind.
One hot cowboy, one riled up woman… And they’ll be married for a year, like it or not!
Praise for Carolyn Brown’s Spikes & Spurs series:
“An old-fashioned love story told well…A delight.”
—
RT Book Reviews
, 4 Stars
“Tender and passionate love scenes…endearing and quirky characters…an absolutely adorable story.”
—
The Romance Studio
“Plenty of twists, turns, and hot cowboys, and a story line that’s got to be continued.” —
Long and Short Reviews
For more Carolyn Brown, visit:
Darn Good
Cowboy Christmas
by Carolyn Brown
He’s One Hot Cowboy…
Raylen O’Donnell is one smokin’ cowboy. He could have any woman he wants, but he’s never been able to forget a certain dark-haired girl who disappeared from his life. So when she suddenly returns to the ranch next door, Raylen’s not fixing to let her get away again…
And She’s Out For a Sizzlin’ Christmas
Raised in a traveling carnival, Lizelle Hanson thought all she wanted was a house that didn’t have wheels and a sexy cowboy for her very own. But settling down’s going to take some getting used to, and catching Raylen, the hotter-than-hell cowboy next door, might just take a little holiday magic…
“An earthy, sensual story… an array of quirky characters make this a fun holiday read.”
—
USA Today’s Happy Ever After Blog
“Full of sizzling chemistry and razor sharp dialogue.”
—
Night Owl Reviews
Reviewer Top Pick, 4½ Stars
For more Carolyn Brown, visit:
Dylan
by C.H. Admirand
There was nothing he couldn’t tame…
Dylan Garahan might be an old hand at lassoing fillies, but one night at the Lucky Star club, and he ends up wrapping his rope around someone that even his formidable strength can’t tame. She’s wily and beautiful…and she’s his new boss. Dylan’s had his heart broken before, but even an honest cowpoke has to wrestle with temptation…
Until he got his lasso around her…
Ronnie DelVecchio might be fresh off the bus from New Jersey, but she’s a hard-edged business woman and has had her fill of men she can’t trust—although she might consider getting off her high horse for that big, handsome rancher with a Texas drawl.
Praise for
Tyler
:
“Full of witty banter, romance, cowboys, and sweet sensuality…This story will melt your heart.” —
My Book Addiction and More
“Fresh and exciting…an interesting, potent, provocative love-story.” —
Red Room
For more C.H. Admirand, visit: