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REBEL WITH A CAUSE?
Justin Morant can't believe he answered an online dating ad!
Turns out, beautiful Mackenzie Hawthorne is looking for a ranch foreman, not a
husband. Good thing, because marriage isn't in the injured bull rider's future.
Justin is happy to take up the cause of saving the Hanging H ranch—and then
there's the bonus of playing stand-in father to the sexy single mom's four
angelic newborns.
Mackenzie doesn't know what miracle brought Justin to
Bridesmaids Creek, Texas, but she'd be a fool to fall for the hunky cowboy who
wears his rebel status like a badge of honor. Justin's a natural with her
daughters and a whiz at ranching…yet one day she knows he's going to gallop off
into the sunset. Unless, of course, the marriage-minded townspeople get their
hands on him!
Now enjoy an excerpt:
Justin slept off and on, dozing in the room with
the babies. It was weird how much he found himself enjoying taking care of
them. As a man who’d never been interested in having children—not one bit—he
was surprised by how Mackenzie’s four little daughters tugged on his
heartstrings.
He hated the idea of leaving them—all of them. And, somehow,
he even hated the idea of Frog staying behind to take his place. Or any of the
three men Ty was bringing on to replace him, for that matter.
The only reason he was leaving with Ty was because Ty had
brought him here in the first place. He owed it to him out of a sense of
brotherhood. Ty wouldn’t ask him if he didn’t need him. Mackenzie didn’t really
need him—not like Ty did.
He needed to talk to Ty a bit more, dig into the mission to
settle the questions in his mind. But the thing that unsettled his mind the
most was how much he hated the idea of three men he didn’t know all that well
roaming around the Hanging H and falling for Mackenzie and the girls.
Just as he was beginning to fall for them.
Whether he liked it or not, that was the truth. Justin
closed his eyes as he rocked in the chair. The tiny night-light sent a soft
glow over the room. An occasional baby snuffle or sigh reached him, the sound
somehow comforting and not intimidating at all, not the way he’d thought it
would be. During his wilder, crazier rodeo days, the idea of a family had been
distinctly unappealing.
Mackenzie was recently divorced. No doubt the last thing she
wanted was another man in her life. He couldn’t blame her if that was the way
she felt.
At dawn, when Betty Harper appeared in the nursery, Justin
felt strangely rested. He smiled at Jade’s mother. “Good morning.”
“Go get some rest. I’ll take over from here. Mackenzie said
the babies didn’t even move last night.”
He felt like he hadn’t, either. In fact, he couldn’t
remember the last time he’d felt so relaxed. “I thought I was awake all night.
I didn’t even realize Mackenzie came in the nursery.”
Betty smiled. “I checked on you at five. Everybody was sound
asleep, which is a first for the girls. They probably feel comforted with a
man’s presence around. Babies do that sometimes. You have a nice deep voice
with is probably soothing to them.”
She disappeared from the room. Justin rose and stretched.
Haven peered up at him from her blanket, and he had the uncanny notion that she
was watching him. Did babies see anything at this tender age?
“Hello, little one,” he said, approaching her crib. Gently
he picked her up, held her close. “Good morning to you, too.”
He kissed the top of her head, breathed in the sweet baby
freshness of her skin, the scent of baby powder.
“Hi,” Mackenzie said, her voice soft.
He turned and saw she was wide-awake and looking refreshed.
“You’re up bright and early.”
“I got a lot more sleep than I have since before I became
pregnant.” She came to take Haven from him, and he smelled an entirely
different smell: strawberry shampoo, delicate floral soap, sexy woman.
His heart did one of those funny flip-flops he’d gotten used
to feeling around her.
“Thanks for watching them last night.” She gazed up at him.
“I think I slept so well because I knew you were standing guard.”
Oh, boy. There went the heart. “It was no problem. Part of
the job.”
“Not part of the job I hired you to do.” She looked at him
funny.
He backed up a step when he realized he was staring at her
pink, glossy lips. “It’s the job Frog and Fellows are applying for.”
“That’s Ty’s bright idea. And by now, you know Ty can be a
bit of a squirrel.” She smiled. “Babysitting isn’t part of your job
description. But thank you.”
Warmth expanded in his chest at her smile. He wondered if
he’d ever met a woman he was so blindingly attracted to—and decided in a hurry
that was a terrible thought to have about his boss. Definitely a dead end.
There was no way on this planet he had any business being attracted to her.
“I’m going to get some coffee. You want a cup?”
“No, thank you. You go on.”
He nodded and turned to leave.
Turned back around, met her gaze. Started to say that
sitting up with her daughters hadn’t been work; he hadn’t done it because of
Frog and Friends. He’d done it because he’d wanted to. Wanted to make her
happy, help her out.
But it was a bad idea to make such a confession. No purpose
to it at all, and he didn’t do anything unless he knew the purpose.
Shutting his stupid yap tight before it could say weird, mushy
things, he left.
USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author Tina Leonard
has sold over 2.6 million copies of her titles. She has made the USA Today
Bestseller, Waldenbooks, Bookscan, and Ingrambook lists, and has written and
contracted seventy-one books and special projects. Her work has been published
by Harlequin, Samhain Publishing, Robinson Scarlet, and most recently Random
House Loveswept contracted for a single title trilogy project, Hell’s Outlaws.
Leonard was chosen to be among the first authors published for Robinson’s
Scarlet line, writing four single title novels for that imprint. Not long
after, she sold on proposal to Harlequin American, where she has since written
several popular series, most notably the Cowboys By The Dozen, Morgan Men, and
Callahan Cowboys series. Her newest single title project, HOTTER THAN TEXAS,
was published in March 2013. Leonard is known for her fun sense of humor,
endearing communities, snappy dialogue, and memorable characters.
Join Tina at www.tinaleonard.com
GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BOOK AND THANKS FOR THE GIVEAWAY! SHELLEY S. calicolady60@hotmail.com
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