Slow Hand (27 page)
Authors: Victoria Vane
“Need both arms. I promised Rachel I'd dance with her tonight.”
“Then she'll need to make do with a one-armed two-step.”
“No good. She's Miss Rodeo Montana and I've just won the All Around. The sling'll screw up the pictures. She's already gonna be pissed enough about my face.”
“That's ridiculous!” Janice snorted but then grimaced at the truth of it. His face really was a mess with a split lip and a nose swollen to half again its normal size.
Dirk shrugged. “The whole PR thing is her gig. I won't ruin it for her.”
“Then just take it off for the pictures.”
His mouth compressed. “Thanks for the concern, Janice, but just let it be, will you? I already have a mother.”
“Sorryâ¦I justâ¦well, you know⦔
He cocked a brow. “No. I
don't
know.”
“I thought maybe we'd become friends is all.”
“A man can never be
friends
with a woman, Janice. Unless she's a troll, there always reaches a point when the guy starts thinking about getting' into her jeans. It's just how it is. You ain't no troll and I got a thing going with Rachel.”
Janice looked away hoping he wouldn't notice the flames heating her face. “That's not what Iâ¦but you'd never⦔ She stammered at the idea that he'd ever think of her in
that
way.
“No?” His gaze tracked slowly over her and his mouth kicked up in one corner. “Think again, sweetheart. By the way, I've noticed Grady sniffin' around you. Be careful with him, Janice. He rides damn close to the edge sometimes.”
“What do you mean?”
His mouth moved but the announcer's blaring voice drowned out his reply.
“Next up is last year's CNFR champion bull rider, Grady Garrison of Three Forks, Montana, coming into the short round on Rio Bravo.”
Janice grinned. “Speak of the devil⦔
“Yeah,” he said. “And he's about as much trouble.”
Janice grimaced. “Look, Dirk, I've been around long enough to recognize his type. Grady blows about as much hot air as a Chinook.”
His gazed narrowed. “Don't be fooled. He does blow a lot of smoke but his bad boy
act
isn't an act, and he doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut either.”
Her temper flared. If Dirk didn't want her, why shouldn't she go out with Grady? A drink or two was no big deal. “You didn't take my advice about the bull, why should I take yours?”
“Because you're a
nice
girl, Janice,” he replied. “I'd hate for him to change that.”
On those parting words, Dirk tipped his hat, and limped away to join some team mates, leaving a dull ache in Janice's chest. “That may be,” she whispered to his back, “but it seems nice girls always finish last.”
* * *
Grady's ride was the final event of the rodeo. He'd pronounced with his perpetual smirk that it was because they saved the best for last. Although Janice would like to have seen him pulled down a notch, he finished with another strong performance, riding and spurring his bull all the way to the whistle, and then dismounting with exaggerated panache for a final score of eighty-eight points.
With the final scores called, the spectators slowly dispersed from the arena. While the rough stock contenders packed up their gear, Janice fell back into the dirty and mundane routine of sorting and penning her bulls for the next haul. Dirk had joined the others behind the pens where the cowboys exchanged good-natured ribbing and swapped stories about their respective rides.
“So you coming or not?” Grady surprised Janice from behind.
“Where?” she asked.
“To the party.”
“Oh, that. I said I'd think about it if you
beat
Dirk. You didn't. You tied.”
“That may be but I damn sure rode better than him, and you know it. Hell, it was the bull that made
his
ride. I had to spur the shit out of the dink I drew to get anything out of him.”
Janice grudgingly acknowledged that Grady had milked the most out of his ride. Rio was a highly respected bucking bull, but he was approaching retirement.
“Let me on
that
badass motherfucker”âhe nodded to Magâ“and you'll see a
real
ride.”
Order Victoria Vane's next book
in the Hot Cowboy Nights series
Rough Rider
On sale February 2015
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The first book in the Burnt Boot, Texas series
by Carolyn Brown
New York Times
and
USA Today
Bestselling Author
All he wants for Christmas is peace and quietâ¦
After two tours in Afghanistan, retired Army sniper Finn O'Donnell believes his new ranch outside the sleepy little town of Burnt Boot, Texas, is the perfect place for an undisturbed holiday season. But before he can settle in, an old friend shows up looking for protection and a place where nobody knows her name.
But that's going to take a miracleâ¦
Callie Brewster must relocate to protect her young nephew, Martin, and the only person she trusts is her old Army friend, Finn. Burnt Boot seems like the perfect place to be anonymous, but it turns out a small town with big drama is no place to hideâ¦
“Brown has the touch for creating a Western that many readers would like to be real.” â
RT Book Reviews
For more Carolyn Brown, visit:
Cowboys & Brides series
by Carolyn Brown
New York Times
and
USA Today
Bestselling Author
She's running from her past
Mason Harper's daughters want a new mama in the worst way, and when a beautiful woman in a tattered wedding gown appears on their doorstep, the two little girls adopt herâno ifs, ands, or buts about it. Mason isn't sure about taking in a complete stranger, but Lord knows he needs a nanny, and Annie Rose Boudreau stirs his heart in long-forgotten waysâ¦
And he's the perfect escape
Annie Rose is desperate, and when a tall, sexy cowboy offers her a place to stay, she can't refuse. After all, it's just for a little while. As she settles in deeper, her heart tells her both Mason and her role as makeshift mama suit her just fine. But will Mason feel the same way once her nightmare past catches up with her?
“Brown continues her streak of satisfying contemporary Western romances⦔ â
Booklist
For more Carolyn Brown, visit:
by Carolyn Brown
New York Times
Bestselling Author
She's got sassâ¦
Emily Cooper promised her dying grandfather that she'd deliver a long-lost letter to a woman he once planned to wed. Little does adventurous Emily know that this simple task will propel her to places she never could have imaginedâ¦with a cowboy who's straight out of her dreamsâ¦
He's got mailâ¦
When sexy rancher Greg Adams discovers his grandmother Clarice has installed Emily on their ranch as her assistant, he decides to humor the two ladies. He figures Emily will move on soon enough. In the meantime, he intends to keep a close eye on herâhe doesn't quite buy her story of his grandmother as a mail-order bride.
A lost letter meant a lost love for Clarice, but two generations later, maybe it's not too late for that letter to work its magic.
“While the romance is hot, there is an old-world feel to it that will bring out the romantic in every reader, leaving them swooning and wishing they had their very own cowboy.”â
RT Book Reviews
, 4 Stars
For more Carolyn Brown, visit:
The first book in the Cowboys of Decker Ranch series
by Joanne Kennedy
His rodeo days may be overâ¦
Sidelined by a career-ending injury, rodeo cowboy Ridge Cooper feels trapped at his family's remote Wyoming ranch. Desperate to find an outlet for the passion he used to put into competing, he takes on the challenge of teaching his roping skills to five troubled ten-year-olds in a last-chance home for foster kids, and finds it's their feisty supervisor who takes the most energy to wrangle.
But he'll still wrangle her heart
When social worker Sierra Dunn seeks an activity for the rebellious kids at Phoenix House, she soon learns she's not in Denver anymore. Sierra is eager to get back home to her inner-city work, and the plan doesn't include forming an attachment in Wyomingâespecially not to a ruggedly handsome and surprisingly gentle local rodeo hero.
“Realistic and romantic⦠Kennedy's forte is in making relationships genuine and heartfelt as she exposes vulnerabilities with tenderness and good humor.”â
Booklist
Starred Review
For more Joanne Kennedy, visit:
Cowboys of Decker Ranch series
by Joanne Kennedy
This cowboy is living a charmed life
Winning comes naturally to bronc rider Brady Caine. Ruggedly handsome, careless, and charismatic, the rodeo fans adore him and the buckle bunnies are his for the taking. He's riding high when he lands an endorsement deal with Lariat Western Wear that pairs him up with champion barrel racer Suze Carlyle.
Until one wrong move changes everything
A stupid move on Brady's part lands Suze in the hospital, her career in tatters. Now it's a whole new game for both of them. Brady is desperate to help Suze rebuild her life, but he's the last person she wants around now. Suze's got plenty of grit and determinationâlearning to trust Brady again is a very different matter.
Praise for Joanne Kennedy:
“Joanne Kennedy's heroes are strong, honest, down-to-earth, and sexy as all get out.” â
New York Journal of Books
For more Joanne Kennedy, visit:
Acknowledgments
Anyone who has read my historical romances knows that I always make a sincere attempt to bring an element of realism to all of my stories. While this might seem easy in a writing a contemporary series, I don't think I ever could have done it without Kail and Renee Mantle of Montana Horses in Three Forks, Montana. My brief taste of Montana ranching was invaluable in helping me to understand the people and the real life struggles and helped to bring my vision for this series more vividly to life. Thank you so very much, Kail and Renee, for your generosity and friendship. I will treasure both always.
I'd also like to express my sincere appreciation to my two beta readers, Jill and Lee Anne. It was no small thing for me to leap three centuries. Your support and encouragement have been a true blessing.
Last, but certainly not least, I wish to offer my sincere thanks to my editor, Deb Werksman, for giving me the opportunity to foray into contemporary romance, and to the wonderful editorial and creative staff at Sourcebooks for all of their contributions.
About the Author
Victoria Vane is an award-winning author of smart and sexy romance. Her works of fiction range from historical to contemporary settings and include everything from wild comedic romps to emotionally compelling erotic romance with a trademark dash of wicked wit.
In addition to reading and writing, she is an avid equestrienne. She loves the mountains and resides in the upstate region of South Carolina. Look for more of her sexy new contemporary cowboy series coming from Sourcebooks in 2015.
