HIS LAST RODEO
Sierra Legacy #4
Claire McEwen
Releasing May 1, 2017
Harlequin Superromance
Tyler Ellis
catches Kit Hayes completely off guard when he swaggers back home and into the
bar she manages. Since high school, he's been a champion rodeo star…a notorious
playboy…and now, apparently, a bar owner. She accepts his offer of a hefty
bonus and helps him transform the place because she's desperate to escape their
tiny town in the Sierras. She doesn't expect him to work this hard beside her.
Where's the cocky cowboy he's supposed to be? Instead she discovers he's still
the sweet, genuine young man she once knew. And so much more…including a threat
to the adventurous life she craves.
Kit glanced
at his towel in horror. “Use the lint-free kind.” She handed him a towel from
the stack on the shelf over the sink. “Jeez, you are green, aren’t you?”
“Green at
this,” Tyler admitted. “But rumor has it I’m a pretty quick study.”
“Well, I
guess we’ll find out if the rumors are true,” she teased. “It’s your first
Friday night, isn’t it?”
“It sure is.”
He tried to smile, but it felt a little weak. “I’m looking forward to it. But
I’ve got a few nerves.”
“You should.
You have no idea what you’re doing.” Her intoxicating combination of sass and
mischief had the glass slipping out of his hand, so he had to hustle to catch
it.
“Nice
reflexes,” she murmured. “Maybe there’s hope for you yet.”
“If you help
me out tonight, there is. I can pour a pint—”
“Barely.”
“—and measure
out a shot. But if I get anything more complicated than that, I’m toast.”
“You don’t
know your cocktails?”
“Don’t drink
’em myself. I’ve been reading recipes, but I’m more of a hands-on learner.” A
nice way of saying that half the words he read made no sense. He glanced
hopefully in her direction. “I just need a good teacher.”
“You want me
to train you? You won’t be embarrassed?”
“When you
rodeo, you learn by falling on your ass in front of hundreds of people. This
can’t be more humiliating than that.”
She studied
him from underneath her thick black lashes. “What’s in it for me?”
“A boss who’s
not totally incompetent?”
Her slow
smile could melt metal. “But that could be kind of fun to watch.”
“No shit-show
is fun to watch for long. Plus I saw you with those customers. You pretend to
be all tough, but you have a soft spot for the lost and lonely. I’m part of
that club right now.”
“You?” She
laughed, soft and bitter. He’d give a lot to know what put that resentment in
her soul. “Not the words I’d ever use to describe someone like you.”
“Someone like
me will pay you a training stipend. A hundred extra bucks each night.”
“Now you’re
trying to buy my help?” She scrubbed the pint glass in her hand with extra
vigor. “Not everything can be bought, you know. Loyalty, for example.”
“I’m not
asking for your loyalty, though that would be nice,” Tyler said. “I’m trying to
treat you like a professional. You have years of experience. I have none and I
need to learn. So I pay you extra to share your expertise with me. It’s only
right.”
“Fine,” she
said quietly. “I’ll do it. But you have to be willing to move fast and do what
I say.”
“I’m yours to
command,” he said, liking the flush creeping up her cheeks at the tiny
innuendo. “And I appreciate the help.”
She grabbed a
stack of dry glasses. “Well, let’s get going then. It’s getting loud out there,
which means it’s getting busy.”
They rounded
the corner and Tyler was amazed to see a crowd that stretched almost to the
door. A quick scan revealed a collection of some of the most rugged-looking
folks he’d ever seen in one place. Bikers in leather, ranch hands in hats,
jeans and bowlegs. Women in tight T-shirts and big hair. Kit glanced over her
shoulder. “Welcome to the Dusty Saddle. Hope you’re ready to earn your spurs.”
An exciting and fun read.
This was a great story line, dynamic and smooth flowing.
Tyler Ellis, just retired from the rodeo circuit, comes home to set down roots.
His old flame, Kit Hayes has been stuck in the same town all her life and is
ready for travel and adventure, oil and water.
When the bar Kit has worked at for nine years is suddenly
bought by a childhood friend, she’s tossed into an emotional blender. Short of
realizing her long-term dream of buying the bar, she now feels more trapped
than ever.
This was a great story of a man, strong and flawed, aka
human, who’s not afraid to bend for the woman he loves. Strength and
persistence, a phenomenal combination.
This book was well written with great chemistry between the
main characters. Their lives felt real
as they navigated the obstacles thrown their way. I loved the descriptive
settings and the changes in location, like you could picture yourself in each
locale.
I would definitely read more by this author.
Four Stars
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