A cowboy...and so much more
Potter Sapphire Ferguson had one rule: no more artists. There have been too many disappointments and too many heartbreaks. That is, until she sees wildlife metal artist Grady Magee welding a sculpture of wolves, and Sapphire’s self-control is completely incinerated. Whoa, Nellie. A cowboy with an artist’s soul...and a hard, sexy body. How can she resist?
Sapphire tells herself it’s just sex—incredibly and unbelievably intense sex—between two consenting adults. No love and no getting hurt. Except that Grady isn’t just an artist. He was raised at Thunder Mountain Ranch, and he’s all cowboy. He’s playing for keeps...and he’ll have to prove to Sapphire that he can have an artist’s soul and a cowboy’s heart.
Praise for Vicki Lewis Thompson
“Thompson continues to do what she does best, tying together strong family values bound by blood and choice, interspersed with the more sizzling aspects of the relationship.”
—RT Book Reviews on Thunderstruck
“All the characters, background stories and character development are positively stellar; the warm family feeling is not saccharine-sweet, but heartfelt and genuine, and Lexi and Cade’s rekindled romance is believable from beginning to end, along with the classy, sexy and tender love scenes.”
—Fresh Fiction on Midnight Thunder
“Intensely romantic and hot enough to singe...her Sons of Chance series never fails to leave me worked up from all the heat, and then sighing with pleasure at the happy endings!”
—We Read Romance on Riding High
“If I had to use one word to describe Ambushed! it would be charming... Where the story shines and how it is elevated above others is the humor that is woven throughout.”
—Dear Author
“The chemistry between Molly and Ben is off the charts: their first kiss is one of the best I’ve ever read, and the sex is blistering and yet respectful, tender and loving.”
—Fresh Fiction on A Last Chance Christmas
“Cowboy Up is a sexy joy ride, balanced with good-natured humor and Thompson’s keen eye for detail. Another sizzling romance from the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award winner for best Blaze.”
—RT Book Reviews
Dear Reader,
Oh, those Magee brothers! In Cowboy After Dark, I fell in love with Liam and figured his younger brother Grady couldn’t possibly be as endearing. Was I ever wrong! Please don’t ask me to pick my favorite Magee brother. I doubt you’ll be able to, either, after you meet Grady, the cowboy turned metal artist. I guarantee he’s hotter than a blowtorch!
Like Sapphire Ferguson, I have a weakness for creative men because they’re creative in...well, everything they do, if you get my meaning. Grady’s sculptures of majestic creatures like eagles and wolves are crafted with recycled metal, which makes him both artistic and ecologically aware! Not only that, but he gets hot and sweaty doing it. Sculpting, that is. What did you think I was talking about?
Okay, I don’t blame you for going there. The minute you get a glimpse of this tall cowboy with his muscles and slightly shaggy haircut, you’ll be ready to trade places with Sapphire. And when you find out Grady’s plan to make a sculpture for Rosie, his foster mom, your heart is gonna melt.
Welcome back to the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood! This amazing band of men each experienced a tragedy that landed them in foster care, but they were all lucky enough to find a home with Rosie and Herb at Thunder Mountain Ranch. Their days at the ranch taught them the cowboy way and forged an enduring bond, although love doesn’t come easily to guys with emotional scars. Join me for another story featuring the awesome cowboys who call themselves the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood!
Creatively yours,
Vicki Lewis Thompson
Cowboy Untamed
A passion for travel has taken New York Times bestselling author Vicki Lewis Thompson to Europe, Great Britain, the Greek isles, Australia and New Zealand. She’s visited most of North America and has her eye on South America’s rain forests. Africa, India and China beckon. But her first love is her home state of Arizona, with its deserts, mountains, sunsets and—last but not least—cowboys! The wide-open spaces and heroes on horseback influence everything she writes. Connect with her at vickilewisthompson.com, Facebook.com/vickilewisthompson and Twitter.com/vickilthompson.
Books by Vicki Lewis Thompson
Harlequin Blaze
Thunder Mountain Brotherhood
Midnight Thunder
Thunderstruck
Rolling Like Thunder
A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe
Cowboy All Night
Cowboy After Dark
Sons of Chance
I Cross My Heart
Wild at Heart
The Heart Won't Lie
Cowboys & Angels
Riding High
Riding Hard
Riding Home
A Last Chance Christmas
To get the inside scoop on Harlequin Blaze and its talented writers, be sure to check out BlazeAuthors.com.
All backlist available in ebook format.
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To visual artists—dedicated souls who enrich our lives by allowing us to see the world through their eyes.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue
Excerpt from Her SEAL Protector by Jillian Burns
1
A WYOMING SUNSET tinged the horizon pale orange, reminding Grady Magee of the Dreamsicles he used to crave as a kid. But thoughts of adult pleasures nudged out childhood nostalgia as he parked his truck in front of the Sheridan Art Barn next to a grape-colored pickup, the only other vehicle in the lot. It likely belonged to Sapphire Ferguson, the woman who’d been on his mind during most of the long drive from Cody.
Three weeks ago during a visit to Thunder Mountain Ranch, he’d come by here with his foster brother Cade to pick up some local art for Cade’s new cabin. Sapphire, a talented potter, had been minding the store. He’d barely recognized her.
The quiet girl he remembered from high school had morphed into a confident woman with a smoldering glance that set him on fire. When she’d asked him to headline a charity event featuring artists creating work on the spot, he’d set aside his packed schedule and agreed without finding out what the charity was. Didn’t matter.
Hauling his tools and materials from Cody and setting up a studio in a corner of this renovated barn was a pain in the ass. He didn’t care. Sapphire had his attention. While honing his welding skills in Alaska and dreaming of making a living with recycled metal art, he’d also dreamed of the kind of woman he’d want to share his life with.
She’d be a self-starter, imaginative, bold and sensual. Good looks wouldn’t hurt but sexual chemistry was more important. Getting both would be a bonus. In short, the woman of his dreams was a lot like Sapphire Ferguson. Maybe his first impression would turn out to be wrong. Or maybe she already had someone in her life.
His gut told him she didn’t. She wasn’t wearing a ring and she’d acted as fascinated with him as he’d been with her. Since then, they’d communicated only th
rough brief phone texts because they’d both battled crazy deadlines. He could be imagining the hum of sexual energy underlying those texts, but he didn’t think so.
He climbed out of his truck with that same energy fizzing in his veins. She’d agreed to meet him and help him get his stuff unloaded, but he hadn’t counted on being alone with her. Eight other artists were part of the co-op Sapphire had organized, each claiming one of the renovated stalls as both a work and display space. He’d expected some of them to be around.
Apparently, they weren’t as manic about working as he was. He put in long hours, both because he loved it and because the commissions kept coming and he didn’t like making customers wait. His brother Liam had reminded him that building a successful career in less than three years was unusual and few artists made a living, let alone a good living.
Grady believed him, although he didn’t have much to go on. He’d used the nest egg he’d saved during his pipeline job to keep him afloat while he followed his dream. His first sculptures had sold like hotcakes and after that he’d been so busy keeping up with the demand that he’d had no time to hang out with other artists.
Spending time with Sapphire was his primary motivation for doing the charity event, but he also looked forward to conversations with other creative types. Not to say he was disappointed that he and Sapphire were alone tonight. Fraternizing with the other co-op members could wait.
He’d started toward the double-door entrance when he heard a woman’s soft voice coming from somewhere to the right of the barn. He couldn’t make out the words, but from the sound of it she really liked the person she was talking to. He paused to listen. Maybe he had this all wrong and the grape-colored pickup had brought two people here—Sapphire and her boyfriend. That would suck.
Standing very still, he listened for a response, a deeper murmur that would indicate she was with a guy. Nothing. He edged closer so he could make out what she was saying.
“Come on, Fred,” she crooned. “You know you want this.”
Dear God. If Sapphire was about to have sex with someone named Fred up against the side of the barn, he did not want to be here. Yeah, he’d arrived a little earlier than planned because he’d broken a few speed limits on the way. She might not be expecting him for another hour.
“You liked it last night, remember? Don’t be shy.”
Grady squeezed his eyes shut. This couldn’t be happening. He’d pinned his hopes on Sapphire being available, yet he’d had no proof of that. If he stayed here much longer, he’d find out exactly how misguided his assumptions were.
Better to quietly climb back into his truck and slowly exit the parking lot. If they were about to get busy, they wouldn’t hear him drive away. He’d grab a cup of coffee in the diner.
“There you go. Isn’t that nice?”
Yikes. He took a slow step backward, then another.
“Such a good boy. Such a brave kitty-cat.”
Kitty-cat? He froze. No man with an ounce of self-respect would let a woman call him kitty-cat. And now that he thought about it, no straight guy would need coaxing in order to have sex with a woman like Sapphire.
He crept to the corner of the building to take a look and discovered Sapphire crouched in the dry grass, the golden glow of the sunset igniting sparks of fire in her long auburn hair. She’d placed several bowls in a semicircle around her and he counted eleven cats munching away. Instead of having sex, she was feeding strays.
He sighed in relief. The sound wasn’t loud but it caught everyone’s attention. Sapphire and all eleven cats looked at him. A black cat with white markings backed away from the dish. “Sorry,” Grady muttered.
She kept her voice low. “You’re early.”
“Traffic was light.”
“You’d better not come any closer. I’d like Fred to eat some more.”
“Fred.” He swallowed so he wouldn’t laugh and spook the cats.
“Fred Astaire. The tuxedo. He’s the most skittish of the bunch but I’m making progress with him.”
Grady had never heard anyone refer to a cat as a tuxedo but it was a great description. The white patch on Fred’s chest made him look as if he’d dressed for the Oscars.
All the cats went back to eating except Fred. Hunkered down, eyes wide and pupils dilated, he stared at Grady. His whiskers, white to match his chest, trembled.
“He won’t hurt you, sweetie.” Sapphire’s voice dripped honey as she spoke to the cat. “The food’s yum-yum-yummy, kitty-cat. You know you want some. Come on, come and get it.”
Her words seemed to have no effect on Fred but they were having a definite effect on Grady. After three weeks of erotic dreams featuring her in the lead role, he was a hot mess of raging hormones. Listening to her woo the cat was initiating action below his belt. She’d told him to stay put but that could prove embarrassing if she kept up this seductive murmur. Sure, she was addressing a cat, but he had no trouble imagining her using that same tone during sex. The longer he stood there, the larger his problem grew, so to speak.
He couldn’t very well tell her that. “Maybe I should move so Fred can’t see me.” He hoped she hadn’t heard the telltale huskiness in his voice.
“That might help.” Fortunately, she didn’t glance over at him. “I’ll be finished in a few minutes.”
“I’ll meet you out front.” He began a slow retreat, wincing at the pressure of his zipper against his pride and joy.
“Okay.” She went back to sweet-talking Fred.
He did his best to block the sound as he ducked out of sight and made the painful journey to his truck. Bracing both hands on the hood, he took several deep breaths. Anyone would think he was some horny teenager.
Normally, he didn’t have this issue. He thought back to the last woman he’d dated and was shocked to realize they’d broken up more than a year ago. Time flew when you were making art. She’d never understood his preoccupation with his work and they’d fought about it enough times that they’d decided to call it quits last July.
Okay, so he hadn’t been in bed with a woman for a long time and now he’d found someone so hot that he’d fixated on her for weeks. That could explain his sudden stiffy. He felt a little better about his reaction, although he’d have to watch himself to make sure he didn’t come across as sex starved.
Turning around, he leaned his butt against the truck and adjusted himself. Better now. He repositioned his new Stetson so it sat more firmly on his head. Liam had talked him into buying it to fit his image as a celebrated Western artist and it was the most expensive one he’d ever owned—black with a silver-and-turquoise hatband. Naturally, Liam had insisted such a hat deserved a new pair of boots, also black, with fancy stitching. Grady had worn them to make a good impression but he’d brought his old scuffed ones to work in.
He had two projects in mind. First he would put together a nice sculpture for his foster mom, Rosie Padgett. She and his foster dad, Herb, had welcomed Grady and Liam to Thunder Mountain Ranch ten years ago when their mom’s car accident had left her unable to care for a couple of rowdy teens. Last month Rosie had hinted to Liam that she’d love a sculpture, and Grady had come up with a great idea for the design.
Creating Rosie’s gift would help him settle into the workspace, so he’d be ready to put on a performance for the charity night. He’d come up with a sketch for that one, too, and it was a piece he could finish within the three hours allotted to the event. Sapphire planned to have a silent auction for his contribution and she hoped to raise a lot of money.
He really should find out what the charity was. His sculpture should relate to the cause in some way, and just because he liked the cougar he’d sketched, didn’t mean it would work with the evening’s theme. He’d ask Sapphire about that when she finished feeding the stray cats. It was possible she’d told him and the information hadn’t registered, because he’d been so focused on her.
Nudging his hat back with his thumb, he gazed up as the first stars blinked on. They weren�
��t as bright in town as they were out at the ranch. Much as he’d love to stay with his foster parents during his time in Sheridan, it wasn’t practical.
Thunder Mountain Academy, a new venture that involved teaching high school kids about everything related to horses, was in its last week of the summer session. The cabins that had once housed foster boys were now filled with teens enrolled in the program. Grady would only be in the way, so he’d accepted an offer to stay in town with Ben and Molly Radcliffe.
Ben had made saddles for just about everyone Grady knew in Sheridan, including his foster parents. Molly was Cade Gallagher’s cousin, although Grady hadn’t quite worked out the details of that connection. It had something to do with the well-known Chance brothers in Jackson Hole. In any case, Molly and Ben were part of the Thunder Mountain Ranch extended family and they were happy to let him use their guest room.
He’d warned them he didn’t know when he’d show up. Unloading his equipment and materials had to come first. At least, that was how he’d rationalized stopping at the Art Barn to meet with Sapphire. Technically, he could have driven over to Molly and Ben’s tonight and brought his supplies here in the morning.
Yet when he’d suggested stopping by tonight to drop them off, Sapphire had readily agreed. Her eagerness had fired up his imagination, and discovering that she was here alone added to the anticipation. He wondered if she’d had dinner. He ran through the restaurant options and decided to suggest his favorite bar because it had live music and a dance floor.
Cowboy Untamed Page 1