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About Leslie
Leslie North is the USA Today Bestselling pen name for a critically-acclaimed author of women's contemporary romance and fiction. The anonymity gives her the perfect opportunity to paint with her full artistic palette, especially in the romance and erotic fantasy genres.
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BLURB
Chelsea Karnes has dreamed of moving out west to “wide open spaces” ever since reading her first cowboy romance at age ten. So when Chelsea gets offered a teaching position in an “alternative” elementary school in Texas she sees it as fate’s design and goes all in. Even hooking up with a cowboy on her preparation trip to find a place to live.
After a childhood spent basically screwing-up everything he cared about, Parker Trent is now a careful man. He’s inherited a sizeable dairy farm from his father and prides himself on the purity of his milk and the purity of his dating record: he only dates tourists. But when his dairy farm’s accounts are called into question and his hot hookup from the summer turns up—pregnant—as the alternative school’s new kindergarten teacher, not only is his dating record broken, but his world is turned upside down.
Chelsea is perfectly happy raising the baby on her own, but Parker refuses to fail at fatherhood. The more time they spend together, the more Parker is determined to show he can be the father their child needs. Recruiting himself to help with the school’s adaptive animal program—the program Chelsea happens to run—seems like a chance to show Chelsea that he means business when it comes to parenting and to get him back into her good graces after his less than excited reaction to their bundle of joy.
But spending time with Chelsea has Parker longing to be more than just a father...for the first time in his life he’s wondering what it would be like to be a husband too.
Grab your copy of The Cowboy’s Heir
Available 18 April 2019.
* * *
EXCERPT
Chapter One
Parker Trent leaned back in his chair, enjoying the cool slide of beer down his throat. Man, he’d needed that. He hadn’t been at Graham and Dun’s for a few weeks, although it felt like years since he’d just sat down and enjoyed a beer.
Faint country music played around him while two bartenders made drinks for the other patrons. Despite Hudson being a fairly small Texas town, Graham and Dun’s had flourished. Maybe it was because a man could get a real beer on tap here instead of some shitty piss water from a can.
“Haven’t seen you here in forever,” said a woman’s voice.
Parker glanced over at Michelle, whose boobs were practically spilling from her shirt as she leaned toward him. Parker and Michelle had gone to school together. He knew her way too well to consider touching her with a ten-foot pole.
“Been busy,” he replied. He wasn’t rude, but he wasn’t encouraging, either.
Michelle decided not to take the hint. She slid into the seat next to Parker in a move that made her skirt hike up her thighs, showing enough skin that if Sheriff Deerborn were here, he might arrest her for indecent exposure.
Gary, one of the bartenders and another former schoolmate, shot Parker an amused look. Everybody knew Michelle had had the hots for Parker since eighth grade and even sixteen years later, she hadn’t given up hope.
“I heard the dairy’s doing real good,” Michelle drawled. She flipped her bleached blond hair over her tanned shoulder. “You been working hard, I’m sure.”
“Mighty hard.”
It wasn’t that Parker wasn’t attracted to women like Michelle, but he’d made a promise to himself not to date locals. The one time he had, it had ended badly for all parties. Since Hudson was a town that got a lot of people traveling through it, it was easy for Parker to find a beautiful stranger to share his bed for one night—maybe two, depending—whenever he got the urge, knowing that they’d never see each other again.
Of course, that wasn’t the reason why he wouldn’t sleep with Michelle. After all, that rule hadn’t been in effect when she made her first play for him when they were just kids. But she was the kind of woman he couldn’t imagine wanting more than a night with—and he was sure that if she ever got her claws into him, she wouldn’t let go. Hell, she wouldn’t let him go even now and she’d never even had him, despite a decade and a half of trying. If he ever took her to bed, he’d probably wake up the next morning to find she’d moved herself right in.
“You seem tense.” Michelle rose and began to massage Parker’s shoulders. “Ooooh, you’re so stiff! Lemme works these knots out.”
Parker gently removed Michelle’s hands. His body protested, but luckily for him, he wasn’t controlled by what his cock wanted.
“I’m flattered, darlin’, but not tonight. I gotta get back home here in a sec,” he lied.
Michelle’s lower lip protruded. “How about another time?”
Parker winced inwardly. “I don’t think so.”
A flush climbed up Michelle’s cheeks, but with a huff, she stalked off. Parker let out a sigh of relief.
“Give me another beer,” he said to Gary.
Gary chuckled. “She looked like she was about to unbutton your Wranglers right then and there.”
“Don’t give her any ideas.”
Gary’s lips twitched as he wiped down the counter.
Parker was prepared to leave the bar early if Michelle came back, but after ten minutes, it seemed as though she’d found other company for the evening. Good, he thought. I’m not done drinking for the night.
Parker had finished his second beer and was wondering if he should have a third when in walked one of the most gorgeous women Parker had ever set eyes on.
She was blond—Parker’s favorite hair color, he had to admit—and he could instantly tell it was natural. It fell in soft ringlets down to her shoulders. She had big blue eyes, her mouth red and full, and even her chin was pretty.
Parker kept his gaze on the woman until she noticed him. Her eyes widened slightly, but to Parker’s amusement, her lips kicked up in a smile. No blushes, no faux modesty. When she walked toward him, her hips swishing, Parker knew his night would be improving immensely.
The woman sat down next to him. A whiff of rose perfume made Parker’s body tighten with desire. She smelled as pretty as she looked. It made him want to see if she tasted sweet, too.
“Can I get you something?” Gary said to the woman.
“I’ll have your dark lager,” she said without hesitation.
Parker cocked an eyebrow. Most of the women he met here seemed to think if they ordered anything darker than some hipster IPA, they were somehow not sexy enough. Parker had never understood that thought process. Now, this woman doubly intrigued him.
“Put her drink on my tab,” Parker said. He held out his hand to her. “Parker. You are?”
“I’m Chelsea. Thank you for the drink. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Just Chelsea?”
She smiled. “For now. You just Parker?”
“For now,” he said, repeating her response.
That smile of hers made Parker want to grab her hand and take her straight upstairs. It was handy that Graham and Dun’s was a part of a nice little hotel. Parker had taken advantage of that fact many times before, but he’d never wanted to with this much desperation.
Parker couldn’t help but notice that Chelsea didn’t have a Texas drawl which meant she was definitely not from around here. Parker usually hooked up with buckle bunny types: women who followed the rodeo circuit and enjoyed themselves along the way. They weren’t always from Texas, but they usually screamed Southern, at the very least. But Chelsea—with her lacy white blouse, black jeans and high-heeled boots—didn’t look like any buckle b
unny Parker had ever seen.
Chelsea thanked Gary as he pushed her drink toward her. She took a sip and then sighed happily, a sound that went straight to Parker’s groin.
“I’d heard that Texas has some of the best beer, but now I believe it,” she said.
“We Texans are proud of our beef and our beer, probably in that order,” Parker said.
Chelsea laughed. “I do love a good steak.”
“So is that why you came to Texas? For some good food and drinks?”
“Not quite.”
“Well, now I gotta ask,” Parker said. “How’d you end up here? You don’t sound like a Texan.”
“How could you tell?”
“Darlin’, no Texas woman worth her salt wears those kinds of boots. It’s cowboy boots or bust. You ain’t got the look of a Texas girl, either.”
Chelsea drew herself up, as if offended. “What kind of girl do I look like, Parker?”
Parker leaned toward her so he could whisper, “You look like a woman who knows how to enjoy herself, that’s what.”
Chelsea’s eyes sparkled. “You know all that from…what? My beer order?”
“Nah, I have a sixth sense with people.” Parker tapped his temple. “People are easy to read, if you know what to look for.”
“Then how about you tell me what I’m thinking right now?”
When Chelsea went silent, waiting for his response, Parker laughed. He waved a hand at Gary. “Get me another beer, will you? I’ve decided I ain’t going home any time soon.”
Grab your copy of The Cowboy’s Heir
Available 18 April 2019.
BLURB
For as long as she can remember, Willa Markson has felt the call of the big city, so that’s where she headed as soon as she was able. In New York City, she found a place where she fit, a place filled with art and sophistication that her little Texas town lacked. While working as an au pair, Willa finally gets the opportunity to land the job of her dreams. All she has to do first is bring her two-year-old charge, Bobby, just orphaned, back to his uncle in Texas. One quick trip won’t hurt, and it certainly won’t stop her dreams of becoming a major figure in the New York art world. She’ll drop Bobby off, no matter how much it breaks her heart, and head back to where she belongs. That’s the plan and absolutely nothing, not Bobby or his brooding, handsome uncle, is going to stop her.
The last thing Daniel Gunn needs is a toddler running around, disrupting his perfectly ordered life. So when his little nephew arrives with an au pair—a distractingly pretty au pair—Daniel asks her to stay to take care of Bobby, a suggestion that’s met with more than a little resistance. No matter what he says or does, or how he tries to make his small town appealing to her, Willa is determined to go back to New York. But how can Daniel make her see that Bobby needs her? That he needs her. Not just for his nephew, but for himself.
If Daniel is going to have any chance at convincing Willa to stay, then this country boy needs to capture her heart and convince her she no longer belongs in the big city.
Grab your copy of Home with the Cowboy here.
* * *
EXCERPT
The second Willa Markson opened the door of her rental car, the blast of Texas heat and humidity threatened to melt her into a puddle. New York City could get hot, but there was nothing like a Texas summer. She slapped at a mosquito in irritation.
I’m not going to be here long, she told herself for the thousandth time. I’ll just hand Bobby off, and then I can get back to civilization.
Bobby Gunn, her two-year-old charge, was in the backseat babbling about cows the whole time Willa was unbuckling him. Willa smiled as Bobby pointed to the cows out in the pasture, his fat legs kicking her in his enthusiasm.
“Yeah, those are cows, buddy,” she said. “And look, there are horses, too.” Bobby didn’t know the difference between the two animals, only knowing they were animals and they were smelly, both things the toddler loved with all of his boyish heart.
As Willa walked up to the sprawling farmhouse, she wondered for a second if she’d gone to the wrong property, as there didn’t seem to be anyone—anyone human, at least—around. But the house number was right, so this had to be it.
Although the yard was neatly trimmed and the house newly painted, even Willa could see that the house was old: one window had a crack in the corner, most likely from a hailstorm, while the porch steps squealed so ominously that Willa was afraid she’d fall through the step if she weren’t careful.
She breathed a sigh of relief when the front door opened and a man stepped out. She blinked as she took in his wide shoulders, the cleft in his chin, the stubble on his cheeks. He was dangerously handsome. And his eyes were so blue that her heart stuttered as she gazed into them. Her heart continued to stutter when she saw the look on his face, and it wasn’t a pleasant one. He looked like she was a bug he’d found skittering across his kitchen counter.
Well, this must be Daniel Gunn. And he looks thrilled to see me.
Willa swallowed, her mouth dry as she stared up at the man. A blush climbed up her face when she realized that she was staring and hadn’t said a word.
“You must be Miss Markson,” the man said in a heavy Texan drawl as he approached Willa. “I’m Daniel Gunn.” He held out his tanned hand and shook hers with a firm grip; Willa barely restrained a shiver at the feeling of his callused palm against her own. Daniel’s gaze went to Bobby. “And you must be my nephew. Howdy, cowboy.”
Bobby’s babbling quieted as he stared at the strange man before he turned his face into Willa’s shoulder.
“He’s shy around strangers,” she explained, then immediately felt bad for saying that Daniel was a stranger in the first place. Willa had heard a few bits of the story of Bobby’s family, mostly involving estranged brothers and uncles. Now that Bobby’s parents had died tragically in a car accident only a few weeks ago, Daniel Gunn was all that Bobby had left.
Willa swallowed against the sadness rising inside her. Maybe she was only Bobby’s nanny, working as an au pair for his parents Robert and Stacey, but the couple had become her friends, not just her employers. Stacey especially had taken Willa under her wing and had introduced her to all of her favorite places in New York. Willa smiled sadly, remembering when Stacey had treated Willa to lunch at a hotdog stand near Times Square that served the biggest hotdogs Willa had ever seen.
Along with Robert and Stacey, Willa had fallen for Bobby, hook, line, and sinker.
Daniel gestured for her to follow him inside. “My uncle James was going to be here, but he had to run some errands. He’ll be here in a bit. You want some tea? It’s a hot one out there.”
Having grown up in Texas, Willa knew that declining a glass of diabetes-inducing sweet tea was akin to treason, so she smiled and said she’d love a glass. Daniel returned with two glasses just as Willa set Bobby on the living room floor and began to give him some toys to play with to keep him occupied.
“Thank you again for bringing him all this way,” said Daniel as he handed her a glass of sweet tea. He gestured for her to sit down, and she took a seat on the worn but well-maintained suede couch. “We thought it’d be easier on the boy to be with someone he knew when he came here.”
“Of course. I’m just sorry it all had to come about like this.” She glanced at Bobby, who was playing with trains, completely unaware of the tragedy surrounding him. Although he cried for his parents, he had only the babyish understanding that they were gone temporarily and would return soon. Willa wasn’t sure if that was a blessing or a curse as of yet.
“I set up the guest room for you to stay in,” said Daniel.
Willa’s eyes widened in surprise. Did this guy really think she was going to stay in his house with him? She wasn’t going to stay in Texas a day longer than necessary. “I’m not staying long. I have to get back to New York as soon as possible.”
Daniel had relaxed back into the armchair, but he leaned forward at Willa’s words. His frown was severe enough
that Willa’s palms got clammy.
“Not staying? You’re just gonna leave my nephew, when you’re all he knows?”
Willa turned scarlet, sweat beading on her forehead. Why was it so hot in here? A fan blew in the corner, sluggishly pushing air around, like it knew it could never compete against a Texas summer. She wished she could ask Daniel to lower the AC, but he didn’t look particularly accommodating after her announcement.
Willa sipped her tea as she struggled to figure out what to say, the shock of sugar making her teeth ache. She’d grown up drinking sweet tea, but when you hadn’t drunk it for a while, that first sip was always a bit of a surprise. She’d gotten used to tea in the north, usually unsweetened with maybe a slice of lemon, a concoction Willa’s father had considered downright blasphemous when he’d visited her once in New York a few years ago.
Searching for the right words, she looked around the room, noting the rack of antlers over the fireplace, what looked like an authentic bearskin rug on the hearth, the cowboy-themed artwork on the walls. Her eye was drawn to an old sampler, its intricate stitchery fading into an age-yellowed background. Home is where the heart is. Heart is where home is. She nodded to herself in agreement. The sooner she got back home to New York, the better.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Gunn,” she said, “but I have something super important that I have to get back for. The timing is terrible, I know, and I’m sorry I can’t stay longer. But you’re Bobby’s family—I’m not. I’m just his nanny.”
“Nanny or not, we need you. Bobby has already lost his parents, and he likes you. What can I do to get you to stay?”
His tone brooked no argument, and Willa wondered why he’d even framed it as a question. He looked as immoveable as granite, his jaw slightly clenched, his eyes narrowed. How had she ever thought he was handsome? He wasn’t handsome—he was obnoxious and stubborn as hell.
The Rancher’s Baby Bargain Page 20