The Trouble with Texas Cowboys (28 page)

Dear Readers,

A few months ago, four cowboys showed up in my virtual world with a story to tell. I'd met three of them—Sawyer, Rhett, and Finn—in
Cowboy
Seeks
Bride
, but the fourth one, Declan Brennan, was altogether new to me. But the other three cowboys said they wanted their own series and that Declan was an integral part of it, since he's a Brennan. Seems the Brennans and the Gallaghers have been in a feud for more than a hundred years in Burnt Boot, Texas, and who better to tell me all about it than Declan Brennan?

After writing the first two books in this series, I'm not totally sure the Burnt Boot gossip vine could survive without the feud. There's a possibility it would be listed on the top of the endangered species list. But the pig war in this book leaves us all with the idea that the feud will never be settled.

Summer is beginning here in southern Oklahoma as I finish this book. Winter finally left us about two days ago. We had forty-eight hours of gorgeous spring weather, and then boom, it was tornado weather and heat. But you will be reading this book when it's winter, and that's when Sawyer and Jill first met, in the bitter-cold wind in Burnt Boot. So bundle up, pour a glass of wine or a cup of hot chocolate, and settle in for another adventure in Burnt Boot.

Special thanks my Sourcebooks family for all the hard work and dedication they put into my books, from editing to proofreading to the absolutely awesome covers. All you folks who work behind the scenes do a fantastically (I'd say fantabulous here, but it might not get past my proofreader) great job, and I appreciate every one of you. A big hug and special thanks to my editor, Deb Werksman, and the staff in the Sourcebooks office on the east coast. A bow to my publisher, Dominique Raccah, who continues to publish my books and encourages me with her smiles. Again, thank you to my husband, Charles Brown, who for many years has supported this wild dream of mine of being an author. To my family, friends, fans, and readers…y'all are all loved and appreciated.

Keep your boots on. There are more cowboys on the horizon.

All my best,

Carolyn Brown

Thank you for reading
!

We hope you enjoyed
The Trouble with Texas Cowboys
by Carolyn Brown.

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The book you've just finished is Book 2 in the Burnt Boot, Texas series. In case you missed it, the first book in the series is
Cowboy Boots for Christmas
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How to Marry a Cowboy

Cowboys & Brides series

by Carolyn Brown

New York Times
and
USA Today
Bestselling Author

She's running from her past

Mason Harper's daughters want a new mama in the worst way, and when a beautiful woman in a tattered wedding gown appears on their doorstep, the two little girls adopt her—no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Mason isn't sure about taking in a complete stranger, but Lord knows he needs a nanny, and Annie Rose Boudreau stirs his heart in long-forgotten ways…

And he's the perfect escape

Annie Rose is desperate, and when a tall, sexy cowboy offers her a place to stay, she can't refuse. After all, it's just for a little while. As she settles in deeper, her heart tells her both Mason and her role as makeshift mama suit her just fine. But will Mason feel the same way once her nightmare past catches up with her?

“Brown continues her streak of satisfying contemporary Western romances…” —
Booklist

For more Carolyn Brown, visit:

www.sourcebooks.com

The Cowboy's Mail Order Bride

by Carolyn Brown

New York Times
Bestselling Author

She's got sass…

Emily Cooper promised her dying grandfather that she'd deliver a long-lost letter to a woman he once planned to wed. Little does adventurous Emily know that this simple task will propel her to places she never could have imagined…with a cowboy who's straight out of her dreams…

He's got mail…

When sexy rancher Greg Adams discovers his grandmother Clarice has installed Emily on their ranch as her assistant, he decides to humor the two ladies. He figures Emily will move on soon enough. In the meantime, he intends to keep a close eye on her—he doesn't quite buy her story of his grandmother as a mail-order bride.

A lost letter meant a lost love for Clarice, but two generations later, maybe it's not too late for that letter to work its magic.

“While the romance is hot, there is an old-world feel to it that will bring out the romantic in every reader, leaving them swooning and wishing they had their very own cowboy.”—
RT Book Reviews
, 4 Stars

“Carolyn Brown's characters become my friends and I find myself laughing with them, crying with them, and loving with them.”—
Bitten by Love Reviews

For more Carolyn Brown, visit:

www.sourcebooks.com

How to Kiss a Cowboy

Cowboys of Decker Ranch series

by Joanne Kennedy

This cowboy is living a charmed life

Winning comes naturally to bronc rider Brady Caine. Ruggedly handsome, careless, and charismatic, the rodeo fans adore him and the buckle bunnies are his for the taking. He's riding high when he lands an endorsement deal with Lariat Western Wear that pairs him up with champion barrel racer Suze Carlyle.

Until one wrong move changes everything

A stupid move on Brady's part lands Suze in the hospital, her career in tatters. Now it's a whole new game for both of them. Brady is desperate to help Suze rebuild her life, but he's the last person she wants around now. Suze's got plenty of grit and determination—learning to trust Brady again is a very different matter.

Praise for Joanne Kennedy:

“Joanne Kennedy's heroes are strong, honest, down-to-earth, and sexy as all get out.” —
New York Journal of Books

For more Joanne Kennedy, visit:

www.sourcebooks.com

How to Handle a Cowboy

Cowboys of Decker Ranch series

by Joanne Kennedy

His rodeo days may be over…

Sidelined by a career-ending injury, rodeo cowboy Ridge Cooper is desperate to find an outlet for the passion he used to put into competing. So he takes on the challenge of teaching roping skills to troubled ten-year-olds in a last-chance home for foster kids, and finds it's their feisty supervisor who takes the most energy to wrangle.

But he'll still wrangle her heart

When social worker Sierra Dunn seeks an activity for the rebellious kids at Phoenix House, she soon learns she's not in Denver anymore. Sierra is eager to get back to her inner-city work, and the plan doesn't include forming an attachment in Wyoming—especially not to a ruggedly handsome and surprisingly gentle local rodeo hero.

“Realistic and romantic… Kennedy's forte is in making relationships genuine and heartfelt as she exposes vulnerabilities with tenderness and good humor.”—
Booklist
Starred Review

“The sex scenes are juicy…and the plot moves seamlessly.”—
RT Book Reviews
, 4 Stars

For more Joanne Kennedy, visit:

www.sourcebooks.com

Rough Rider

Hot Cowboy Nights Series

by Victoria Vane

Old flames burn the hottest…

Janice Combes has adored Dirk Knowlton from the rodeo sidelines for years. She knows she'll never be able to compete with the dazzling all-American rodeo queen who's set her sights on Dirk. Playful banter is all Janice and Dirk will ever have…

Until the stormy night when he shows up at her door, injured and alone. Dirk's dripping wet, needs a place to stay, and Janice remembers why she could never settle for any other cowboy…

Praise for Victoria Vane:

“Erotic and sexy…absolutely marvelous.” —
Library Journal
on the Devil DeVere series

“The Mistress of Sensuality does it again!” —
Swept Away by Romance

For more Victoria Vane, visit:

www.sourcebooks.com

Slow Hand

Hot Cowboy Nights Series

by Victoria Vane

In rural Montana…

Wade Knowlton is a hardworking lawyer who's torn between his small-town Montana law practice and a struggling family ranch. He's on the brink of exhaustion from trying to save everybody and everything, when gorgeous Nicole Powell walks into his office. She's a damsel in distress and the breath of fresh air he needs.

Even the lawyers wear boots…

Nicole Powell is a sassy Southern girl who has officially sworn off cowboys after a spate of bad seeds—until her father's death sends her to Montana and into the arms of a man who seems too good to be true. Her instincts tell her to hightail it out of Montana, but she can't resist a cowboy with a slow hand.

“A red-hot cowboy tale… Their sexual chemistry crackles.” —
Publishers Weekly

“Delightful, funny, page-turning steamy sexy, and the romance makes you wish you could pull Victoria's characters straight off the page.” —
Unwrapping Romance

For more Victoria Vane, visit:

www.sourcebooks.com

Desperate Hearts

by Rosanne Bittner

USA Today
bestselling author

She's a woman with a secret

Elizabeth Wainright is on the run. Accused of a murder she didn't commit, she has no choice but to cut ties with her old life and flee west. The last thing she wants is attention, but when her stagecoach is attacked, she suddenly finds herself under the fierce protection of one of Montana's famed vigilantes…whether she likes it or not.

He's a man with a code

Lawman Mitch Brady is sworn to uphold justice in the wild lands of 1860s Montana. He's never met a man he's feared, and he's never met a woman more desperately in need of his help. Something's shaken the secretive Elizabeth, but as he gets to know the beautiful city belle, he finds the only thing he wants more than her safety…is her trust.

Praise for Rosanne Bittner:

One of the most powerful voices in Western romance.” —
RT Book Reviews

For more Rosanne Bittner, visit:

www.sourcebooks.com

Texas Mail Order Bride

Bachelors of Battle Creek

by Linda Broday

New York Times
bestselling author

Rancher Cooper Thorne thinks his life is finally on an even keel—until Delta Dandridge steps off the stagecoach and claims she's his mail-order bride. Brash and quick-witted, the meddling Southern belle is everything Cooper thought he never wanted…and everything his heart is telling him he needs.

But Cooper swore long ago that he'd never marry, and he aims to keep his word…especially now that the demons from his past have returned to threaten everything—and everyone—he holds dear.

Praise for Linda Broday:

“Takes me back to a West that feels true. A delightful read.” —Jodi Thomas,
New York Times
bestselling author

For more Linda Broday, visit:

www.sourcebooks.com

To Love and to Cherish

A Cactus Creek Cowboys Novel

by Leigh Greenwood

USA Today
bestselling author

Torn between a desire to be free…

When Laurie Spencer said “I do,” she just traded one pair of shackles for another—until her husband's death leaves her with an opportunity to escape her controlling family. Determined to be independent, Laurie approaches sexy rancher Jared Smith with an offer she hopes he can't refuse…

Jared's determined to make it in Texas, but with the local banker turned against him, his dream may be slipping through his fingers. When Laurie offers a partnership, it looks like his luck may be changing…but when she throws herself in the deal, Jared's not sure he'll be able to respect the terms of their agreement and keep his hands to himself.

There's something about Laurie that awakens every protective instinct Jared has…and when all hell breaks loose, there's nothing and no one who'll be able to keep this cowboy from her side.

“Greenwood is a master at Westerns!” —
RT Book Reviews

For more Leigh Greenwood, visit:

www.sourcebooks.com

Carolyn Brown is a
New
York
Times
and
USA
Today
bestselling author.
The
Trouble
with
Texas
Cowboys
is her seventy-second published book. She credits her eclectic family for her humor and writing ideas. Her books include the Lucky trilogy:
Lucky
in
Love
,
One
Lucky
Cowboy
, and
Getting
Lucky
; the Honky Tonk series:
I
Love
This
Bar
,
Hell, Yeah
,
Honky
Tonk
Christmas
, and
My
Give
a
Damn's Busted
; the Spikes & Spurs series:
Love
Drunk
Cowboy
,
Red's Hot Cowboy
,
Darn
Good
Cowboy
Christmas
,
One
Hot
Cowboy
Wedding
,
Mistletoe
Cowboy
,
Just
a
Cowboy
and
His
Baby
, and
Cowboy
Seeks
Bride
; and her bestselling Cowboys & Brides series:
Billion
Dollar
Cowboy
,
The
Cowboy's Christmas Baby
,
The
Cowboy's Mail Order Bride
, and
How
to
Marry
a
Cowboy
. Carolyn has launched into women's fiction with
The
Blue-Ribbon Jalapeño Society Jubilee
and
The
Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off.
Now she's having fun with her new Burnt Boot series, beginning with
Cowboy
Boots
for
Christmas.
She was born in Texas but grew up in southern Oklahoma where she and her husband, Charles, a retired English teacher, make their home. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young.