The second book of my Bad Boys of the Rodeo series, TAMING THE WILD COWBOY, is about to be released. The official release date is April 28, but it is available now for preorder. I had a lot of fun writing this book. The hero, Trev Matthews, is one of my favorites and he plays a part in all four books of the series. Here’s an excerpt:
Trev put his phone in his pocket, studying the truck as it approached and wondering where he’d be directing the driver to. When the truck got close enough to read the Montana plate, he could see that a woman was driving with a smallish dog bouncing on the seat beside her.
The truck lurched when it crossed the cattleguard, as if its suspension was shot, then continued across the wide gravel yard that separated the houses from the barns and outbuildings, pulling to a stop a few yards away from where Trev stood. She turned off the engine and started to open the door, only to stop abruptly when he pushed his hat back, giving her a good look at his face. He might have been mistaken but it looked like she’d silently mouthed a curse word.
Trev’s first thought was that she was nervous, being miles from the public road and quite possibly lost. His second thought, when she once again raised her chin, was no way.
Maclyn Kane.
He felt like rubbing his eyes to see if she disappeared when he opened them again. What was she doing here? And why was she driving a truck that looked like the front quarter panel would fall off if someone breathed too heavily on it?
They faced off through the gravel-pitted windshield for a few more seconds, then Maclyn squared her shoulders and pushed the truck door all the way open, telling the little dog to stay. The door remained ajar after she’d stepped to the ground, making it easier to jump back inside, he figured. The dog danced on the edge of the seat but followed orders and stayed put.
So, again, why was Maclyn Kane on his ranch?
She appeared to be wondering the same thing as she stopped a few feet away from him, perhaps waiting for him to make the first move. That wasn’t going to happen.
A breeze came up and caught hold of her dark hair, which was about a foot shorter than during their rodeo days, falling to her shoulders instead of to her waist, and her clothes were remarkably utilitarian. The loose-fitting jeans bore signs of wear that were not part of the manufacturing process, and her scuffed boots spoke of actual ranch work. No glitz. No bling. No visible jewelry. If he’d passed her on the street, it would have taken him a few seconds to recognize her. That said, she still had that air about her, as if she were royalty masquerading as a cowgirl.
Or she’s nervous.
She had reason to be.
“Long time,” Maclyn finally said, hooking a thumb in her pocket.
“Six years,” he acknowledged.
Her eyebrows lifted. “Five and a half since you tanked my job chances with Buckley Livestock, but who’s counting?”
Yeah. That. Not his fault. He’d been asked his opinion of Maclyn Kane as a potential employee and had explained his personal experience with her, every word of which was true. He had not sought out the hiring manager of Buckley as she seemed to imply, and was about to correct her, when he thought better of it. Nothing good came of arguing the past, and beyond that, there was something about the way Maclyn held herself, as if about to wade into battle, that stopped him.
“What can I do for you?” he finally asked.
“I’m here about the job you posted in the feed store on the highway.”
Trev tried to hold back the laugh. Failed. Mac’s expression shifted from defensive to pure ice at the choked sound.
“Sorry to have wasted your time.” She turned toward the truck and jerked the partially open door until it bounced on the hinges. The little dog scrambled into the passenger seat.
“Wait.”
Mac turned her head, Sam Elliott style, to wordlessly meet his gaze as he took a few steps forward, making him wonder if he’d imagined the crack in her voice.
“For?” she asked.
He shifted his weight, buying time as he tried to find a place of mental equilibrium. This was weird. “You’re here about the job.”
Her jaw shifted sideways. “I was.”
“Why?” It made no sense.
“I didn’t know that you’d be here.”
She climbed into the truck then and pulled the door handle. Trev caught the frame before the door closed, dropping his hand as she shot him a look. Right. What was he thinking?
He was thinking that he wanted answers. “Mac.”
She abandoned the battle for the door, letting her head drop back against the split vinyl of the headrest. “Yes?”
“What’s going on?”
She closed her eyes as if shutting out a bad memory. It took her a long moment to say, “I need something temporary. A few days even.”
“Why?”
Her eyes came open. “I’m in a spot.”
“What kind of spot?”
“The kind I didn’t expect.”
He raised his eyebrows.
She shifted her gaze to the windshield. “I got fired from my job. I have two horses and a dog to feed.”
He waited for more, but she reached for the ignition instead of explaining. Trev wasn’t ready to let her go. Not just yet.
“Mac.”
She kept her hand on the key as she once again glanced his way. “I don’t expect you to believe me, given our history.”
She gave the word history a nasty twist, which in turn caused something to shift uncomfortably in Trev’s brain. She had been so adamant when he’d confronted her about paying for the damage to his truck. Damage she’d caused, yet refused to take responsibility for.
“Won’t your parents help you out of the spot?” The parents everyone assumed bankrolled her back in the day. Someone had paid for that flashy truck and trailer and one of the best barrel horses on the circuit. Since Maclyn had been barely into her twenties at the time, the assumption was that it wasn’t her writing the checks.
“Not an option.”
Her tone spoke of bridges burned, and he realized how little he knew about this woman. What he’d had was assumptions and amusing anecdotes from Brooke, who had admired her travel partner’s quiet grit. Grit that Trev had secretly pegged as privilege and the knowledge that she could get away with stuff.
“Sell the horses.”
Maclyn gave him a dark look. “Also not an option.”
“Then it appears you’re low on options.”
“Thanks for pointing that out.” She pulled the door shut then and started the engine. Trev stepped back as the truck rolled forward a few feet, then stopped. After a brief hesitation, Maclyn lowered the window.
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
Here it came.
“I was not driving your truck that night.”
She did stick to her story.
And now for the give away. My book has heat in places (nothing crazy mind you) and some salty language. I know many of our readers are sweet romance readers, so instead of giving away the book, I’m giving away a $10 Amazon gift card so that the winner can buy any book they’d like. Hopefully two books. Hopefully books written by me or my fellow fillies. 🙂
This is a second chance romance, which is one of my favorite tropes, so I write it often. To be eligible for the gift card, tell me one of your favorite tropes or story themes. Winner will be announced on Sunday.
Jeannie Watt raises cattle in Montana and loves all things western. When she's not writing, Jeannie enjoys sewing, making mosaic mirrors, riding her horses and buying hay. Lots and lots of hay.
Love the excerpt.
Enemies to lovers and second chance are my favorite tropes.
I cut my teeth on enemies to lovers as a new romance reader. I couldn’t get enough.
I love second chance stories. And I loved your excerpt. I need to know what happens next.
Thank you, Alisa.
Your book sounds like a great story, I would love to read it. I like enemies to lovers, and second chance stories.
Both winners for me, too, Connie Lee.
I like marriage of convenience stories.
Those are so much fun. I particularly love the setup–why do they need to be married? I’ve read so really clever ones.
Brother’s best friend or sister’s best friend. A different set of problems.
Yes indeed, and this can make for some great conflict.
I LOVE to read second chance cowboys!!
Yay!
I thoroughly enjoy any romance with cowboys, horses, a sheriff, rangers, etc. your book sounds great! Thank you for the blurb. It sure drew me in.
Thank you, Kathy!
Ranching, rodeo and the taming of the west are at the top of my list.
You are certainly in the right place at Petticoats and Pistols, Carol! 🙂
I love most romance tropes if they are well-written and clean. The one I don’t like is the secret child.
Second chances are great because we learn and grow as we get older and learn from past mistakes. I enjoy giving my characters a new start.
I love second chance romance tropes and if they happen to have a secret baby too, well it’s a double hit.
And nothing beats a double hit!
I like marriage of convenience stories, although I usually like any story with cowboys in it.
I’m with you on that, Karijean. Cowboy marriage of convenience. *happy sigh*
Capturing love later in life.
Yes! And thankfully more stories like that are now available.
My favorite trope is friends to more.
Those slow burn stories are so satisfying!
A chance meeting that ends in a beautiful future.
That’s a great one, Ellie. I’m writing a chance meeting right now.
I enjoy all the themes but I really appreciate friends to more the best. Thank you for the opportuntity. God bless you.
I really enjoy friends to more, too. I’ve never written one, but I love to read them.
I like second chance romance and this one sounds awesome
Thank you, Rhonda!
Finding love on a vacation
Nice!
I enjoy most anything western but friends to more are among my favorites.
That’s a fun trope, especially the moment when they start looking at one another with new eyes.
cowboys
Indeed!
There are many, such as Love later in life after a great loss; Large cowboy families seeking partners; time travel.
Love later in life is always a great read. Gives me hope when I find a good story with that trope. And large cowboy families! Yes!
I’m a fan of a lot of different tropes, but one I usually enjoy is Love at First Sight. 🙂
That’s a cool one for sure!
Marriage of convenience is my favorite. Thank you for the giveaway opportunity.
You are welcome, and I like MoC, too!
I usually like friends to lovers
That’s one of the best.
I do enjoy enemies to lovers as well as fake relationships.
I’m always down for fake relationships, which are kind of a cousin to friends to more, only with the potential for more sparks and spats.
I have read several of your books and this one sounds equally as good
I like Friends to Lovers
Joye, thank you! That warms my heart!
Beauty and the Beast has always been one of my favorites.
I agree, Minna! Some of my all time favorites have had that trope.
My all time favorite trope is marriage of convenience, with almost everything else a very close second, except for secret baby. That is my very least favorite!
Some of the first romances I read (Georgette Heyer) were marriage of convenience and I loved them.
I think everyone deserves a second chance so I like to read about them.
Well said, Jackie!
I Love reading about second chances!
Me, too! Everyone should get a chance to fix their mistakes. Especially when they were meant to be together.
Marriage of Convenience is my favorite trope, with friends-to-more as a close second. 😀
Those are both strong choices!
Second chances is one of my favorites.
Me, too! I keep writing them, and I love helping my characters find their way back to each other.
Love Single Dad, Marriage of Convenience, Mistaken Identity and so much more!
Single dad and mistaken identity are a lot of fun. I’ve written single dads, but have yet to do a mistaken identity. That could be fun!
Marriage of Convenience, enemies to lovers, second chances, secret baby, really any type of story that has an engaging story line and great relateable characters will catch my attention.
I enjoy friends to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, and forced proximity romances
Grumpy/sunshine! That’s a fun one for sure. Also, close proximity–who doesn’t love a good trapped in the snowstorm story>
Enemies to lovers, and grumpy/sunshine are my favorites.
I’d forgotten grumpy/sunshine until it was brought up here. This has always been a favorite of mine.
Hi Jeannie, Thank you for sharing the excerpt, it sounds Great!! My favorite tropes are Second Chances and Secret Baby. Have a great day and a great week. Thank you for the chance.
You are very welcome, Alicia!
I enjoy so many tropes like second chance, opposites attract, friends to lovers, fake dating, forced proximity, cowboy, Amish, K-9, holiday, etc…
A romance smorgasbord! I love it, Joannie!
Your new book sounds amazing! Second Chances are one of my favorite but I must admit I also enjoy Friends to Lovers. I enjoy the part of the story when the characters realize their friend is the person that they have been looking for and was right there in front of them:)
Yes, Patti–the right in front of them thing! That’s such a good moment.
This book sounds great. Second chance is always good but I’ll read just about anything set in a small town, mountains, farm or ranch.
Me, too, Alice. Give me rural!
I love found family, friends to lovers, and fairytale retellings.
Oooh–fairy tale retellings! Those can be so clever!
I was just watching Lucifer and it made me think of a another trope I like and this one is also in one of Grimms fairytales: The Old Woman in the Wood. In it both the hero and heroine are in big trouble and they help each other, so it’s not one of those where the prince saves the totally helpless woman.
That’s the best–when the hero and heroine are equals. 🙂
I also like second chance romance books
There’s something about bringing people back together that really satisfies me as a reader and a writer.
I absolutely love reading any type of book that is in print format because it is so much easier to review
1 of my favorite tropes is second chance with a little mystery, suspense and romance thrown in
I prefer print, too, for that very reason. And yes, a touch of mystery always adds a little spice to a story.
Hi! Jeannie, Love the excerpt. Second chance books are interesting, and, I enjoy when the woman or the man character finds out that they were totally wrong about what they thought they knew about each other.
Thus, coming to terms that they were totally wrong & just maybe, maybe, had to make it right somehow.
As, they progress to really find out what the other person is really like….they, might fall in love.
Also, a suspense books that keeps you guessing as to what is coming next & how the book will end.
I, have found myself reading the last few pages of the book as I get further into the book and can’t
stand to find out how it ends. But, I do read the whole book after that to see how the author got to that ending.
I do the end of the story peak, too, sometimes, Lois. A lot of time, I want to see if a character makes it through, so I skim for the name. I always peek if an animal is involved. I want all the dogs to be alive at the end.
I love a story where the hero or heroine has wandered away from God and comes back to Him.
Those are so uplifting and hope inducing, Sarah.
Sounds like an intriguing story!!
Thank you, Ginni!
I’m hooked already and would love to win a copy of this story so I can continue and find out how they iron out their historic misunderstanding (my take on the snippet).
Thanks for running the giveaway.
P.S. I’m not sure how this trope (if it’s one) is usually worded – revisiting the past and righting old wrongs? And the gift card would be a perfect way to buy my own copy of the book.
You’re very welcome, Mary. I think your trope is second chance, but it sounds a bit deeper.