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In July 2016 HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE will become HARLEQUIN WESTERN ROMANCE. Same great stories, new name!
A PROMISE TO PROTECT
Under the guise of taking over the family’s rodeo act, former Army Ranger Chance Reynolds is actually home to protect their star trick rider, Carolina Cruthers, from her ex. Keeping an eye on the spunky blonde isn’t a problem. Keeping things professional? That’s getting harder every day.
Though Caro feels safe with Chance, she knows getting involved with her boss would be a bad idea, never mind dragging him into her messy past. But life on the rodeo trail draws them closer, and what started as a short-term arrangement suddenly feels anything but temporary. Can Chance convince Caro that they should team up forever?
“Let’s practice some more.” Chance offered Caro his hand.
She nodded, her blond hair falling over one shoulder as she took his hand. He pulled her to her feet. In a moment she was up against him again.
Damn.
If she had any idea how it tortured him to have her back up against him like she was, well, suffice it to say, she’d probably call off the rest of their self-defense lesson.
“Remember,” he said into her ear. “Step, wedge, thrust.”
He didn’t give her time to comment, just wrapped an arm around her. She didn’t hesitate this time, shoving her leg between his own, thrusting back, using such force that he didn’t have to fake falling down.
He loved the way her eyes lit up with triumph.
“That was easy.” She grinned.
“Let’s do it again.”
It was all he could do not to lean down and plant his lips on hers.
Many years ago I decided to try trick riding. Problem was, I didn’t own a horse. No matter. The local rancher had a few trusty steeds and so I figured I’d ride one of them. Using a giant oak tree as a perch, I waited patiently for a horse to wander beneath me. When the moment was right, I flung myself atop the horse’s back.
I rode for about 1.9 seconds.
Actually, I bounced…and bounced…ever closer toward the rear, and then I catapulted into the air. I did not, however, bounce when I hit the ground. I ached for days.
It was worth it.
That moment fueled a lifelong passion for horses. I never did make it into the trick riding arena, but I am proud to call a few of those riders my friends. Every time I watch them perform, I am left breathless. I hoped to capture that breathlessness in The Ranger’s Rodeo Rebel.
Trick riders are tough. My heroine, Carolina Cruthers, is tough, too, but not when it comes to relationships. My hero, Chance Reynolds, is exactly the kind of man she tries to avoid: bossy, bold and just a tad bit too handsome for his own good. Fate draws them together and forces Chance to act as Carolina’s bodyguard. Together they learn that sometimes even the strongest individuals need a little help.
I hope you enjoy The Ranger’s Rodeo Rebel. As always, it is my fondest hope that readers will laugh and cry when they read my books. I hope I’ve succeeded.
Pam
The Ranger’s Rodeo Rebel
Pamela Britton
With more than a million books in print, PAMELA BRITTON likes to call herself the best-known author nobody’s ever heard of. Of course, that changed thanks to a certain licensing agreement with that little racing organization known as NASCAR.
But before the glitz and glamour of NASCAR, Pamela wrote books that were frequently voted the best of the best by the Detroit Free Press, Barnes & Noble (two years in a row) and RT Book Reviews. She’s won numerous awards, including a National Readers’ Choice Award and a nomination for the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Award.
When not writing books, Pamela is a reporter for a local newspaper. She’s also a columnist for the American Quarter Horse Journal.
For Josey Lynn and Bobbie Stone, two of the most amazing trick riders in the rodeo business, and women I’m proud to call my friends.
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