Rodeo Baby. Mary Sullivan
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A SMALL TOWN. A BIG SURPRISE.
Handsome, strange men are not on Violet Summer’s radar—especially ones sitting in her diner in too-new cowboy gear. She’ll eat an old boot if Sam Michaels is a real cowboy. Nope, there’s a reason Mr. Phony Cowboy and his teenage daughter are here in Rodeo, Montana...and she’ll find out the truth.
Sam just wants to get back to New York. He doesn’t need complications, like the gorgeous diner owner who irritates and intrigues him at the same time. Or a simmering attraction that results in one unforgettable night—and an unexpected bun in the oven! Now he’s torn between his big-city life...and becoming a real cowboy for good.
“Now, Miss Retro Diner Owner, are you going to laugh at my riding skills again?”
Vy stalked to the edge of the stream, hot and bothered and struggling to get herself under control.
She felt Sam’s heat behind her.
“Now that we’ve acknowledged our attraction to each other, do you want to tell me why you hate me so much?”
“You’re a phony,” she said. “You’re no more a cowboy than I am.”
“Considering how obvious it is that I can’t even fake it well, yes. I am a phony. I have my reasons.”
She rounded on him. Big mistake. His nearness, his height, his insightful gray eyes disconcerted her.
Damn. She wasn’t used to being out of control. She was the one people came to for her cool head under pressure.
What was this man doing to her?
I have so much fun writing about the cowboys and children in my stories, and in particular, about those in the small town of fictitious Rodeo, Montana.
As I moved along in this series, I wondered how the townspeople would react to a man who comes to town pretending to be a cowboy when it’s painfully obvious that he isn’t one!
How would a certain diner owner, who’s been hurt by a phony in her past, be affected?
Sam and Violet’s story blossomed out of that idea and raised so many questions. Why on earth would a normally intelligent city man decide it was a good idea to pretend to be a cowboy? How did he think he could possibly pull it off?
The answer to the second question is that he doesn’t. He is found out immediately.
The answer to the first question is the strongest motivator of all—love for a very dear grandfather. All of his ill-fated decisions were made to protect a man he adores.
Sam’s biggest mistake is in thinking that the six women, including Violet, who are reviving the local rodeo and amusement park to save their small town, could possibly be dishonest and cheating his grandfather. It’s a huge assumption that takes Sam most of the story to realize is all wrong, but along the way he falls for spirited, opinionated Violet.
I hope you enjoy their story.
Mary Sullivan
Rodeo Baby
Mary Sullivan
MARY SULLIVAN has a fondness for cowboys and ranch settings, even though she grew up in the city. She found her mother’s stories about growing up in rural Canada fascinating. Her passions outside of writing include time spent with friends, great conversation, exploring her city, cooking, walking, traveling (including her latest trip to Paris!), reading, meeting readers and doing endless crossword puzzles.
She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at marysullivanbooks.com, or via her Facebook author page, Facebook.com/marysullivanauthor
To Susan, who has become a very dear friend.
Contents
The second Violet Summer laid eyes on the stranger, an unreasonable swell of sexual awareness bloomed.
The man wasn’t even her type, yet here she stood stunned, and bothered, with Lester Voile’s coffee and Mama’s Best Meat Loaf cooling in her hands.
Rats.
Rodeo, and the Summertime Diner, rarely saw anyone like the stranger