by Tina Leonard
He could tell she said something because he heard the muffled sound of her voice, but couldn’t make out the words. He turned and took a few steps through the crackly grass until he was facing her again. “I beg your pardon?” he asked.
She held up the letter. “I had no idea. When Joe died, I asked Quinn what we were supposed to do and he said keep working until we heard differently from the lawyers. When did you get this?”
“Last week,” he confirmed.
“And your brother and sister?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, I haven’t talked to them lately. They have commitments. I don’t. Not at the moment anyway.”
She folded the paper and handed it back to him. “Well, I have to say I’m a bit relieved. We’ve all been wondering what was going to happen with the ranch. But what about the army? Are you just on leave, or what?”
It stung more than a little to have to respond, “The army’s in the past. By the way, who’s Quinn?”
There. He’d changed the subject. He’d rather not talk about the circumstances around his leaving his former life. It was still too fresh.
“Quinn Solomon. The ranch manager.”
“And you’re what, a ranch hand?” He couldn’t help but smile a little at the idea. Most of the girls he knew wouldn’t be caught dead with manure on their boots, dirt on their face and less-than-perfect hair. It seemed impossible that the cute little girl he’d teased in school was now working on his ranch. That would make her his employee....
All traces of friendliness disappeared from her face. “No sir,” she corrected him. “Quinn’s the manager, and I’m the foreman of the cattle side of the business. And if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get back to work. We lost two heifers to coyotes last night. I need to bury the bodies.”
Bury the bodies? Coyotes and heifers?
Duke had had visions of riding the range, surveying his domain, moving cattle from pasture to pasture and some sort of idyllic, carefree life for a few months while he made some hard decisions. That vision hadn’t included predators and dead bodies and digging graves. That wasn’t his idea of stress relief. He’d had enough of that sort of thing during his deployments.
“You need some help?” he asked, knowing he couldn’t send her out there to tackle it alone.
She turned back to face him, which made it easier for him to understand her next words. “I’ve got a couple of hands who’ll help me. Why don’t you go get settled? You’d only get in the way anyway.”
She strode off before he could form a suitable reply. Okay, so he was a greenhorn. He admitted it. But he was part owner of this ranch and she worked for him now, even if it was a formality. Her dismissive tone definitely grated on his nerves.
He turned away, hopped back into the truck and drove over to the main house. Once he figured out where he was going to stay, he’d deal with Carrie Coulter and her uppity attitude.
* * *
CARRIE’S HEART BEAT against her ribs the whole way back to her ATV.
She’d wondered what Joe’s plans for the ranch were. Wondered if she’d find herself out of a job and left with a mountain of bills still to pay and a winter’s worth of heating to come out of her bank account. It was an enormous relief to know that she still had employment and that she’d be able to keep the wolf from the door. And a pain in the ass to find that her new boss didn’t know ranching from his armpit. Duke Duggan had always had too high an opinion of himself in school. He’d grinned and teased and called her Freckle Face and pulled her ponytail. She remembered. It had been a relief when he moved away. Sort of.
And my, hadn’t he grown up. She tugged on a pair of gloves, swung her leg over the seat of the quad and fired up the engine. She gave the throttle a shot of gas that sent her lurching away from the barn and toward the twin tracks leading down the hillside to where the herd was grazing. She couldn’t banish the memory of his deep blue eyes staring down at her in surprise, or the intent way he watched her face as she spoke. Never mind he was now at least six feet tall and, from the looks of it, all lean muscle. His hair was military-short and had looked naked without a hat. If it grew out, she imagined it would be a rich auburn, not quite brown and not quite red.
Son of a...
She bounced over a hard rut and gripped the handlebars tighter. Why the hell should she care what color his hair was anyway?
If she was lucky, Duke would spend most of his time with Quinn. Quinn was the real boss here, overseeing most of the ranch operations, especially once Joe had gotten older and his health had declined. Duke could stay out of her way and just let her do her job. She had enough to worry about. Like paying off her mom’s medical bills. The estate hadn’t covered the expense and now, two years after the funeral, Carrie was finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe in another year she could stop scrimping and saving quite so much as she got out from under the debt.
Worrying about money wasn’t going to solve the current problem, though. She had cattle to take care of...and a coyote problem to solve. She was just thankful that Duke was here to take over, no matter how annoying she found him on a personal level. Someone needed to take responsibility for the ranch. It wasn’t the perfect situation, but it was better than nothing.
* * *
“COME ON, CARRIE.” Kailey Brandt fell back onto the bed with her arms outstretched. “It’s Friday night. And I don’t want to go to the Wooden Nickel alone.”
Carrie tried not to laugh. The Wooden Nickel was the nickname Kailey had given the Silver Dollar Saloon, saying a dollar was far more than the old bar was worth. “I’m tired. I had a busy week,” she answered.
“Didn’t we all,” Kailey replied, undaunted. “Girl, you’ve been wrangling cows and coyotes. You need to blow off some steam. Have a beer. Flirt with a good-looking cowboy and have a dance or two. Maybe some mattress mambo.”
Now Carrie did laugh. “You just want to see if Colt’s going to be there.”
Kailey turned her head away and the grin slid from her face. “Colt Black can dry up and blow away for all I care.”
Carrie sat down on the bed beside her friend. She and Kailey were close, both being farm girls at heart. Kailey was in charge of the bucking stock over at the nearby Brandt place, and they were both used to working in a physically demanding, male-dominated industry. Once in a while they got together and decided to feel like girls for a few hours. Friday nights at the saloon usually fit the bill.
“What happened between the two of you?” Last Carrie had heard, Colt’s gaze had been fixed on Kailey just as much as hers was on him. The last time they’d been in a room together, Carrie had been certain she could light a fire with the hot looks passing between the two.
“I waited too long. He hooked up with some girl from Great Falls with big hair and bigger boobs.” Kailey looked down at her ample but not overly huge chest. “What is it with guys and breasts?”
Carrie laughed again. Kailey was like a breath of fresh air.
“Please, Car.” Kailey stared up at Carrie with big blue eyes. “If you don’t, I’ll end up spending Friday night at home with the old folks watching Thanksgiving Hallmark movies on TV.” She shuddered.
“Oh, all right. But I’m not staying late. I’m dog-tired, Kailey.” Never mind she’d spent the past few days trying to stay out of Duke’s way. Their paths had only crossed a few times since their initial meeting, and he’d been engrossed in conversation with Quinn, just as she’d wanted it.
So why had she felt so disappointed when he hadn’t answered her hello, but merely nodded and kept walking?
Because she was a damned fool, that was why. Truth was, everything she held dear was tied up in Crooked Valley Ranch. The fact that Duke had showed up had been nothing short of a blessing. He could be as crotchety as he liked, as long as he kept Crooked Valley running and her in a job.
Kailey sat up. “That’s the spirit! You should wear that red shirt with the V-neck. And I’ll fishtail your hair. You’ve got way better hair than I have for that. The braid makes your summer sun streaks stand out.”
And so it was that less than an hour later, both girls walked into the Silver Dollar. It was busy already, and they had to wait for one of the tables on the perimeter of the scarred dance floor. The Dollar had once been an old barn that Cy Williamson had renovated. Right now the latest country hits echoed to the rafters, along with lots of chatter and laughter.
Carrie took off her coat and tugged at the neckline of her shirt. She’d let Kailey steamroll her and now felt conspicuous at the little bit of cleavage revealed by the V. She was wearing makeup, too, eye shadow and a bit of liner and mascara and lipstick, of all things.
Scott Johnson was staring over at their table and Carrie gave Kailey a kick. “You’re getting attention already. Jerkwad Johnson at two o’clock.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake.” Kailey forced a smile. “Let’s get a beer and forget he’s there. First round’s on me.”
Kailey got up and went to the bar rather than waiting for one of the waitresses to make her way over. Carrie watched as several eyes fixed on her friend’s attractive figure as she leaned against the old wooden bar to give her order. She wondered if Kailey really knew how beautiful she was. No matter how dolled up Carrie got, when she was with Kailey she always felt a bit like the ugly stepsister—without the bad temperament.
The double doors opened again and Carrie froze.
In walked Quinn Solomon—he must have got a sitter for his daughter tonight—and Mr. Prodigal Grandson himself, Duke Duggan. Jumpin’ Judas, the man was good-looking. He smiled at something Quinn said and it made his face light up. His jeans fit his lean body just right and he wore a brown coat with a sheepskin collar that made his shoulders look impossibly broad. His boots were clean but not new, and he’d hidden his buzz-cut look beneath a brown hat.
Mercy.
Kailey returned to the table and put down two bottles of beer. “Mother McCree, who is that?” she asked, nudging Carrie’s arm with the cold bottle. “Whoo-eee.”
“My new boss,” Carrie replied drily, blindly reaching for the bottle. “Duke Duggan.”
“What? No way. I don’t remember him looking like that.”
“He was eight when he moved away,” Carrie reminded her. “You were six. Your memory might be a little foggy.”
“Right. Well. This changes the evening significantly.”
There was no reason on earth that Kailey’s words should inspire a flicker of jealousy, but they did. It was ridiculous. Carrie didn’t like Duke and had absolutely no claim on him. Why should she care if Kailey was interested?
As if he could feel their eyes watching him, he turned their way. She could tell when he looked at Kailey, because his eyes twinkled a little and he raised an eyebrow just a bit.
But then he looked directly at Carrie and her breath froze in her chest. The twinkle disappeared from his eyes, but they remained warm, and a smile touched his mouth. And then he lifted a finger and touched the brim of his hat before turning away and following Quinn to the bar.
Her breath came out in a hot rush. Oh, man. She was in big, big trouble. He was her boss. He was a pain in the butt. And he made her pulse race in a way it hadn’t in a very, very long time.
Copyright © 2014 by Donna Alward
ISBN-13: 9781460342251
Cowboy for Hire
Copyright © 2014 by Marie Rydzynski-Ferrarella
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A CHRISTMAS AFFAIR?
Returning to Crooked Valley is more terrifying than the battlefield to ex-soldier Duke Duggan. Still, Duke has an important reason to be back—to take control of his late grandfather’s ranch. But being thrown headfirst into his old life makes Duke feel like a fish out of water. That is, until he sees Carrie Coulter again. Twenty years may have passed but the chemistry between them is stronger than ever.
When Duke threatens to sell the ranch, Carrie, the foreman, realizes she could lose her livelihood. But no decisions will be made until after the holidays. Until then, they have time to explore the feelings that draw them to each other. Together, can they come up with a way to keep the ranch…and the burning love between them?
The past twenty-four hours had felt very strange, and yet very right.
At times it had almost seemed as though they were a real couple, decorating their place for Christmas.
Except for the constant reminder that their relationship was transient. That she shouldn’t get used to spending time with him when he could be gone again before she knew it.
Saying goodbye to Duke was going to be torture.
As the afternoon waned and the light dimmed slightly, Duke went inside and flicked the switch to the outdoor plug, making the lights come alive.
It was beautiful.
Duke came back outside and jogged down the steps, coming to stand beside her. “So what do you think?” he asked. “We did good, huh?”
Her breath made clouds in the air, and Duke tugged on her hand, pulling her closer.
He kissed her, slow and soft, making her melt against him. The man knew how to kiss—she’d give him that.
“Whew,” she said when the kiss broke off. “I’m not sure the fun’s quite over, you keep kissing me like that.”
His eyes warmed. “It doesn’t have to be.”
Dear Reader,
Welcome to a brand-new trilogy—and just in time for the holidays!
In the Crooked Valley Ranch series, you meet the Duggan siblings: Duke, Lacey and Rylan. None of them are ranchers, so it’s a bit of a shock when they inherit the family spread from their grandfather. Each of them must take their place at the ranch or it goes up for sale.
Which doesn’t really matter much to any of them…in the beginning. In The Cowboy’s Christmas Gift, Duke Duggan returns to the ranch to figure out what to do next with his life. A career soldier, he’s at loose ends now that he’s lost his hearing in one ear. At first he just wants to get his bearings. Look at his options. It all sounds great until two things complicate his “no commitments” plans. First of all, he kind of likes the ranch and the open spaces and freedom. And then there’s Carrie Coulter, the cattle foreman. Smart, feisty and loyal, she keeps Duke on his toes. Duke’s torn between his freedom, wanting to reunite his family for Christmas, and knowing that selling the ranch might have devastating consequences for those who count on it for their livelihoods. That’s a lot of responsibility for one guy to shoulder.
Good thing Duke loves a challenge.
I hope you have a wonderful family holiday and enjoy the warmth of the season—as well as a good book or two!
Best wishes,
Donna
The Cowboy’s Christmas Gift
Donna Alward
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A busy wife and mother of three (two daughters and the family dog), Donna Alward believes hers is the best job in the world: a combination of stay-at-home mom and romance novelist. An avid reader since childhood, Donna has always made up her own stories. She completed her arts degree in English literature in 1994, but it wasn’t until 2001 that she penned her first full-length novel and found herself hooked on writing romance. In 2006 she sold her first manuscript, and now writes warm, emotional stories for Harlequin.
In her new home office in Nova Scotia, Donna loves being back on the east coast of Canada after nearly twelve years in Alberta, where her career began, writing about cowboys and the West. Donna’s debut romance, Hired by the Cowboy, was awarded a Booksellers’ Best Award in 2008 for Best Traditional Romance.
With the Atlantic Ocean only minutes from her doorstep, Donna has found a fresh take on life and promises even more great romances in the near future!
Donna loves to hear from readers. You can contact her through her website, www.donnaalward.com, or follow @DonnaAlward on Twitter.
Books by Donna Alward
HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE
1485—HER RANCHER RESCUER*
1502—THE TEXAN’S BABY**
HARLEQUIN ROMANCE
4240—HONEYMOON WITH THE RANCHER
4251—A FAMILY FOR THE RUGGED RANCHER
4270—HOW A COWBOY STOLE HER HEART
4311—THE LAST REAL COWBOY
4317—THE REBEL RANCHER