SUITED TO BE A COWBOY
Lorraine Nelson
Mainstream Romance
Sweet Cravings Publishing
www.sweetcravingspublishing.com
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A Sweet Cravings Publishing Book
Mainstream Romance
Suited to be a Cowboy
Copyright © 2013 Lorraine Nelson
E-book ISBN: 978-1-61885-931-0
First E-book Publication: November 2013
Cover design by Dawné Dominique
Edited by Tamara Eaton
Proofread by Laurie White
All cover art and logo copyright © 2013 by Sweet Cravings Publishing
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Sweet Cravings Publishing
www.sweetcravingspublishing.com
DEDICATION
I dedicate this novel to my fans,
lovers of western romance and suspense.
Thank you for the excellent comments and reviews I’ve received to date.
Lorraine
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*Trouble With a Cowboy, a western, erotic romance:
Can some slashed tires and an ornery bull bring two hard-headed people together for some fun in the sun and a little more?
**Forget Me Not, paranormal erotic romance:
A war is brewing, a war that could destroy an entire vampire race if left unchecked, and Julian Marino has been requested to participate in it. He stops his search for a long time friend to go home and discovers there is more at stake than just his wants.
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SUITED TO BE A COWBOY
Lorraine Nelson
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
James McGovern strode out through the etched-glass entrance doors, loosening his tie as he went. He’d entered the field of corporate accounting right after college and worked his way up. Now he owned the firm, but he was becoming more restless every day. He felt trapped…tied down to a menial job when what he really longed for still eluded him. These years in a suit had served him well, but he’d be glad to put them behind him to take up ranching.
The walk light changed and he crossed at the intersection, heading for the underground parking lot where he kept his truck during working hours.
He jumped in and started the engine, listening to its delightful purr. No woman had ever given him as much satisfaction as his truck did. Chuckling wryly, he shoved in the clutch, put it in gear, and reversed out of his reserved parking space.
At thirty-two, he was more than ready for a change. He hated city life. Traffic was too congested, the air heavily polluted, and the noise—God, he didn’t think he’d ever get used to the noise.
When traffic came to a standstill, he slowed. An array of flashing lights warned him of an accident up ahead. Jimmy parked his truck on the side of the road, stepped down from the cab, and jogged up a slight hill. A train lay overturned in the crossing. Horses were everywhere. Beautiful scared horses ran rampant.
“What’s the scoop?” he asked an officer. “I have first aid. Is anyone hurt?”
“No, it’s a freight train hauling horses. No human casualties, except for the owner. She’s acting as if her world has come to an end.”
“Maybe it has,” Jimmy said, his mind on the injured, maybe dying, horses. “Is she hurt?”
“No, just bordering on hysterical.” The officer pointed. “That’s her over there.”
In the direction indicated, a woman was trying to catch the horses, but with no way to confine them to one area, she fought a losing battle and appeared more than a little frazzled. She wore a red T-shirt, tight blue jeans, red cowboy boots, and a red Stetson. Blonde hair hung straight to her waist. “I’ll mosey on over and see if I can help.” He wasn’t particularly enamored of emotional women, but for some reason, Blondie’s predicament spoke to him, probably because he shared a love of horses.
Before he reached her, a stallion barreled past, other horses following his lead. Without thinking, Jimmy vaulted into the back of someone’s pickup, then jumped through the a
ir to straddle the next running horse.
He held onto its mane, controlling the horse with his knees and heels, urging it to run faster. They caught up to the stallion, managed to circle him back toward the train, and rode herd on them until they came to a stop, just shy of the tracks. The run calmed the horses and they now seemed content to graze at the side of the road.
He dismounted and found himself wrapped in a flowery-scented embrace from behind.
“Thank you so much. You just saved my life.” The voice was low, soft and sexy. Blondie?
Turning slowly, he loosened the woman’s hold and stepped back. Yep, Blondie. Curious as to her wording, he spoke, “Ma’am? I rounded up the horses. That’s all.”
“Yes, but they’re my responsibility. These are thoroughbred racing horses. I’m taking them to the track in Kentucky for tryouts. If they make good time, I have buyers lined up there.”
“I see.” Was it the horses or the money she’d been worried about?
She gave him a cursory once-over and he became aware of how comical he must’ve looked, wearing a suit, tie, and dress shoes while riding bareback down a city street.
“Where did you learn to ride like that?” she asked.
A reluctant admiration showed in her expression but Jimmy refrained from answering personal questions…a lifetime habit, hard-learned. “Here and there. Not sure where I got the nerve to go gallivanting off like that, ma’am. I just saw those horses running through town and I had to do something before they got hurt.” He straightened the lapels on his suit and snugged up his tie, anything to keep from grabbing her close. She sure was beautiful. Her smile of gratitude lit up her blueberry-blue eyes and drew him in like a magnet.
In an effort to get his thoughts under control, he said the first thing that came to mind. “Don’t worry yourself none about the dry cleaning. Glad to help.”
She straightened and frowned. “I’d be happy to pay your cleaning bill.”
“No need. Were any of the horses hurt?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. They took off before I could examine them. Are you a vet?”
“No, just a man who loves horses. They sure seemed to run all right. Can’t be too much wrong with them. You were lucky they didn’t have their skulls bashed in when the train derailed.”
“Don’t I know it! Thanks again for rounding them up. I must go tend to them now.”
He tipped an imaginary hat and watched her walk away, hard-pressed to hold back a resounding laugh as she added a sexy sway to her step. For his benefit? She seemed like a high-maintenance filly. He’d do well to steer clear.
She sure was a looker, though. Her bright blue eyes had struck deep into his soul, and he’d wanted to haul her right back into his arms, but conscious of his sweaty, horsey smell, he’d kept her at arms’ length.
He jogged down the road, climbed into his truck and took the long route home. It could be quite a while before the crossing cleared. He smiled as he envisioned the woman trying to keep her horses rounded up. Not his problem.
She’d told him where she was headed, but he wondered who she was and where she was from.
Under the guise of checking out a horse, Melissa Dehavilland watched the wannabe cowboy. She admired his masculine physique until he jogged out of sight, ever so thankful he’d rounded up her horses. But who was he? And where did he learn to ride like that? He was a natural in the saddle, horse and rider moving as one. She’d gotten hot just watching him, and it had nothing to do with the late afternoon sun.
Oh, well, the suit turned her off. She’d been married to a businessman for ten years and had learned her lesson. Suave and charming they may be, but in her experience, secretaries came before wives, something she wasn’t prepared to accept, then or now.
A frightened shriek rent the air and Melissa turned to see one of her horses rearing up in the midst of a crowd of people. She ran over to calm the horse, slowing as she approached. “Blaze, girl, what are you doing?” She spoke in the calm tone of voice that always served her well with the stock. “You don’t want to be frightening these poor folk. I know you’re scared, but they’re just trying to help.” As she talked, she ambled closer. Blaze recognized her voice and settled down, walking over to nudge her shoulder. Melissa petted her nose. “Good girl. That’s better. Are you hurt? Is that your problem? Stand still while I check you over.”
She didn’t detect a noticeable wound until she moved to examine the other side. Blaze’s right haunch was covered in blood. “Poor baby. That doesn’t look too bad, but I’ll clean you up and see what the damage is. Okay?” She continued to check the animal, not finding any other injuries. Relieved, she petted Blaze as she wondered what to do. She didn’t have any medical supplies with her and didn’t dare leave the horses alone.
“Hi! Are you the owner of these gorgeous animals?” a perky female voice said from behind her.
“Yes, I am,” she answered.
“My name’s Amy Hiltz. I’m a veterinarian. I run a practice down the street. When I heard about the horses in the train derailment, I came to see if I could assist.”
Melissa smiled and shook the woman’s outstretched hand. “Melissa Dehavilland, glad to meet you. Blaze here has an injury to her right haunch. I haven’t had time to check the others.”
“Then let’s get to it.” Amy assessed the laceration and opened her black bag, pulling out disinfectant wipes and proceeding to clean the injured area. She spoke softly to the horse as she worked, her demeanor calm but efficient.
As Blaze made no protest, Melissa checked the remainder of the horses. Satin had a nick on his ear and Midnight seemed to be favoring one leg. She picked it up to examine the hoof. Sure enough, a stone had lodged in the shoe during his run.
She returned to where the vet patiently worked on Blaze. “Would you happen to have a hoof pick in that satchel? One of the horses picked up a stone.”
“Sure.” She rummaged in her bag and pulled out the required item. “I’ll give you a hand in just a sec.”
“No problem. I can do it.” But Midnight proved to be ornery, sidestepping every time she reached for his leg. “Come on, boy. Stand still so I can tend to that hoof.” He was still being obnoxious when the vet walked up beside her.
“You hold his head to keep him still and I’ll see to that stone,” she said.
“Okay. The horses are still a bit jittery from the upset.”
“I would be too. How did you get them out of the freight car?”
Melissa smiled. “Pure dumb luck. A lumber delivery was held up when the train derailed. The man had a load of plywood and two-by-sixes on and we were able to fashion ramps to lead them up, out, and down to solid ground.”
“That was lucky. There, all done.” Amy released the horse’s leg and stepped back. “Any other injuries?”
Melissa led her over to Satin, holding her steady as Amy cleaned and stitched her ear. “You’re really good with horses.”
Amy laughed as she worked. “I should be. I spent summers at my grandparents’ ranch when I was a kid. That’s when I discovered I wanted to be a vet, although I hadn’t counted on having to open a clinic in the city.”
“Had to?”
“Yeah. Instead of horses and cattle, I’m a medic for domestic pets.” She shrugged. “It pays the bills.”
Melissa rummaged through her purse and produced a business card. “If you ever need or want a change of pace, give me a call.”
Amy studied the card. “You’re from Colorado? What are you doing in Missouri?”
“Just traveling through on my way to time trials in Kentucky.”
“A word of advice, don’t run Blaze. Those stitches need to heal.”
Melissa nodded, glancing toward the horse in question. “I’d kind of figured that one out already. Do you know of any place I can board her until I make arrangements to transport her home?”
Amy’s smile bloomed from ear to ear. “I’d love to have her. I own a small property not far from here. Plenty
of grazing for a few days.”
“Fantastic! I’ll reimburse you for your trouble and your help here today. How do we get to your place?”
Amy gave her directions and went on her way. Just then, a man approached.
“Miss, do you own these animals?”
“Yes I do.”
“The name’s Walt. I’ve rounded up a few stock trailers to move your horses. They’re parked on the next street over. Where are you heading?”
Melissa couldn’t believe her luck. First, a stranger saves her herd, then a vet shows up, and now stock trailers had appeared out of thin air. It looked like she would make it to that sale after all.
A quaint, two-bedroom cottage in the wooded area outside of town had been Jimmy’s home for several years. He braked to a stop beside the kitchen door and wondered how much longer it would be before he could buy into a ranch. His exhilarating adventure left him longing for wide-open spaces.
Jimmy stepped down from the cab and walked the last few feet to his cottage. He was so fed up with working in the city. Herding Blondie’s horses had sparked a need inside him that was difficult to control. Maybe it was time to sell the accounting firm and look for work elsewhere. With his experience, he was certain to land a suitable accounting position. But where?
He stooped to pick up the daily paper before entering the house. On impulse, he sat at the table and opened it to the classified ad section, only to find that his growling stomach needed attention first. Last night’s leftovers would have to suffice. He dished up a bowl of chili, grated some cheese on top, and stuck it in the microwave to heat. While he waited, he poured a glass of milk. Day-old biscuits completed the meal.
Armed with fortification, he resumed his seat at the table, skimming through the classifieds as he ate. His attention ramped up as he spied one particular ad. He read it, then read it again, more slowly this time.
Thoroughbreds R Us Horse Ranch in northern Colorado
seeking experienced accountant to handle ranch affairs.
Must be willing to live on site. Room and board included.
The ad ended with a contact email.
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