Welcome
Charlene Sands
Author of:
Will Be Here
Friday, 7pm PST
The Copper Mountain Rodeo has returned to Marietta and
cowboy reputations aren’t the only thing at stake…
When Summer Nichols inherited half of the Circle W Ranch, she didn’t know her rodeo-riding, bad boy ex-boyfriend came with the deal. But sure enough, Tyler Warren, the man who broke her heart and left her in Marietta years ago, is back and living on the ranch again, claiming he wants no trouble. He’s certainly not back to rekindle their decade ago romance.
Ty only wants what’s rightfully his, and then he’s gone, but not even family secrets and Summer’s deep betrayal can keep him from remembering the good times he had with the preacher’s sweet, beautiful daughter, once upon a time. Summer is more woman than he expected…
Will Ty seize his second chance and finally claim all that he’s lost, including Summer’s love once again?
*Bold, strong, heart-melting heroes… and always real
good men.*
Ty parked his SUV outside the gates of the Circle W Ranch and put his
boots down on Marietta soil for the first time in eleven years. His gut,
already in turmoil, only clenched tighter when he took stock of the ruin that
lay before him. Set up against Copper Mountain, the small yet once prosperous
ranch that held its own against the bigger ranches in the area, looked as worn
out as he felt inside, coming back here.
Marietta wouldn’t welcome him and he sure as hell didn’t relish being
here.
But his old man had died one month ago and, while people would look
upon him and see him here only for the rodeo as the saddle bronc-busting
champion coming back to rub their noses in it, he would’ve come back
regardless. He had dealings to contend with…dealings that were as foreign to
him as a three piece suit and tie.
His old man’s estate, for one, needed his attention. And then
there was the other matter.
He decided to walk his way in, needing the time to think, to stride
the winding path that led to the house he’d grown up in as the only son of Owen
Warren. Thoughts muddied his mind and he nearly turned back. But then, he
caught a flash of something golden up ahead, honey-yellow hair catching light,
flickering from sun to shade under the big, old oak facing the side yard.
Summer.
She was on the wood swing, her head falling back, her legs dangling,
and her arms loosely gripping the ropes in slow, carefree movements that
brought him back to a time when they were together, madly in love. It had been
the best time of his life.
Until things went sideways.
He stopped his stride to watch her take those leisurely moments and
when she’d had enough, she jumped down, her feet landing firm on the ground.
She marched toward the house, not seeing him standing behind, her long hair
swishing in the breeze, her hips swaying side to side like some top-notch
runway model.
“Shit.” He pushed his hand through his hair, his breath hitching.
She was still perfect, still beautiful, and even more female than he
remembered.
Damn her, damn this town.
He sped his steps now, ready to get on with it. No more thinking of
what was. All that mattered now was the present. That was how he’d always lived
his life. When the porch door swung shut, he was only a few seconds behind. The
scent of cattle, raw earth, and horse dung filled his nostrils. They weren’t
unfamiliar smells, he’d lived the life of a rodeo rider for years now, but it
was different somehow, because he was…home.
It galled him to knock on his own front door. He gave it two sharp
raps.
“Coming,” Summer called out. The sweet lilt of her voice burdened his
ears.
And when the door opened, he stared into the face of the only woman
he’d ever loved.
She gasped when she saw him. “Tyler.” So formal now, the singsong in
her tone disappearing.
“Summer.” He frowned. Eleven years only added to her beauty. She had
creamy skin that tanned to golden brown under the sun’s light, big Montana sky,
bluer than blue eyes, and a heart-shaped mouth he’d kissed a zillion times.
“You know why I’m here.”
She nodded. “The rodeo.”
Of course, she’d think that. “Yep.”
“Would you like to come in?” she said finally, the reluctance in her
voice egging him on.
“Being as it’s my house, I think surely I’ll come in.”
Her pretty mouth turned ugly for a moment and she stepped aside,
allowing him entry. He took off his hat and held it at his side as he surveyed
the hallway, the parlor to his right and the staircase that led to the
bedrooms. Nothing much had changed, the place held onto its country charm even
though the sofa was dingy now from years of wear, the curtains needed
replacing, and the walls had lost the vibrancy of color.
“I’ve got cookies baking in the oven,” she said. “Excuse me for a
second.”
Excuse her? Like hell. He followed her into the kitchen as the sweet,
homey scents wafted to his nostrils. She placed her hands into oven mitts,
opened the oven, and pulled out a tray. Chocolate chips and were those walnuts
erupting from the cookies? She set the tray on the countertop and removed her
gloves. Then she turned to face him head on. “You should’ve come sooner.”
“And ruin the surprise?”
She shook her head and her hair flowed around her face like a halo of
gold. “I meant before your dad died.” She tucked those strands behind her ear.
“He would’ve liked to have seen you, Tyler.”
“It’s Ty now.”
“Why didn’t you come?”
He chewed the inside of his mouth. “I had my reasons.”
She put her head down. She was judging him, the one thing she’d never
done when they were together. She’d accepted him for who he was back then. And
now she was like everyone else. Giving him a hard time. “I’m here now.”
“It’s a little late, don’t you think?”
He sighed, pulled out a kitchen chair, turned it around, and straddled
it, his arms hanging over the top. “Maybe. But like I said, I had my reasons.”
“What kind of reason keeps a man away from his dying father?”
“Don’t lecture me, darlin’.”
She faced him with scorn. “Oh, yeah, that’s right. I forgot. No one
can tell Tyler Warren what to do.”
When she turned to see to the cookies, he squeezed his eyes shut. “I
see you’ve made yourself at home already. How long have you been living here?”
He already knew the answer, thanks to Buddy Mahoney, who’d been on the
ranch since almost the beginning. The old guy never stopped nosing around in
everybody’s business. Buddy was his only friend in Marietta, more like a father
to him than his own dad.
A short time after Summer’s husband Lee died in a freakish tractor
accident, Owen took sick and she’d quit her nursing job at the hospital to care
for him exclusively. Ty always suspected his daddy’s heart troubles started the
day Lee died. His father adored Lee Nichols, Ty’s best friend, and made no
bones about comparing him to Lee every chance he got. And just this past year,
Owen Warren had changed his will, the codicil giving Summer half ownership of
the ranch. Nice man, his father.
“About a year, give or take,” she said.
“Didn’t take you long to worm your way into my daddy’s good graces.”
She put her hands on her hips. “I’ll ignore that, Ty. Because you have
no idea what you’re talking about.”
Maybe not. Or just maybe his philandering father made a move on her
after Ty’s one-time best friend, passed on. It wouldn’t be out of character for
Owen to pursue a beautiful woman, a lovely, lonely widow. Hell, sounded like
something straight out of a soap opera.
“You gonna frown at me all day, or offer me one of those cookies?”
Her lips quirked up. “Still have a sweet tooth?”
“Some things never change.”
She put some cooling cookies onto a dish and set it in front of him.
“Who’re they for anyway?” he asked, plucking one up from the plate.
“My folks. I was going over for a visit today.”
He said nothing. The Simmons family didn’t have a spare sentiment for
him.
She poured him a glass of milk and he looked up at her closed off
expression. “Don’t let me keep you.”
“I’ll go… as soon as you finish up here.”
He sunk his teeth into the cookie. Sheer heaven, warm and soft and
delicious. He had a taste for sweet things. Summer had been the sweetest girl
he’d ever met and the irony of sitting here in the kitchen with her, tasting
her baking, and breathing in the vanilla scent of her, wasn’t lost on him.
“There’s no need to wait on me. I’ll be moving my stuff in today.”
Summer’s mouth almost dropped to the ground. She had a hard time
clamping her lips back together. “You’re …you’re not staying here.”
Tyler wiped his mouth on a napkin that had magically appeared by his
plate and stood up. “Darlin’, this was my house, long before you took to living
here. And yeah, I’m staying here.”
“But…you can’t. You…we can’t live under the same roof, Tyler. That’s
not going to happen.”
“Sure, it’s gonna happen. Unless you’re willing to move out?
Otherwise, while I’m here…we’re gonna be roommates.”
He rose then, and stood his ground two feet away from her. He got a
closer look at her face, colored rosy now, her well-kept rage just under the
surface, and those sky blue eyes going as dark as a Montana storm. “Unless, of
course, you can’t handle it. Us, living here together?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Tyler.”
“You think it’s ridiculous for me to move back into my house while I’m
here? That’s rich, Summer. You’ve horned your way into my daddy’s life and got
half ownership, and now you think you can kick me to the curb? That ain’t
happening, honey.”
“Tyler, why make this hard on everybody? There’s a great hotel in
Marietta.”
“Maybe, because I’m not the only one moving in. Maybe I got someone
and she’s not used to hotel living.”
Summer’s mouth curled into a big fat O. She thought she had the
picture. Everyone always thought they knew what he was about.
But this time, she’d be dead wrong.
Ebook #: ISBN 978-1-943963-01-0
Amazon http://tinyurl.com/pysvrts
Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
Secrets, lies and forbidden love… USA TODAY bestselling
author Charlene Sands brings you the most shocking royal romance yet!
Juan Carlos Salazar II never thought he'd become King of
Alma. But when an explosive family secret leaves him next in line for the
throne, he's ready.
Until he catches a glimpse of Princess Portia Lindstrom
at the coronation. Because it's love at first sight with this mysterious woman.
But Portia's secrets test the power of his devotion and Juan Carlos is tempted
to throw duty out the window. Sorely tempted.
Soon he must choose between commitment to country and
family…or his own heart.
October Release of A ROYAL TEMPTATION- Harlequin Desire
CHARLENE SANDS - USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR
CLAIM ME, COWBOY - Sept 2015
A Royal Temptation - Desire Continuity- Oct 2015
The Billionaires Daddy Test Desire - July 2015
Her Forbidden Cowboy - Desire Feb 2015
The Cowboy Contract
I need to finish this story--started and lost it somewhere in my kindle!
ReplyDeleteDenise
If you are talking about Claim Me, Cowboy you won't regret it. It is very Good! Enjoy
ReplyDeleteOmg! I have to have this book. Lol. Love ypur books !
ReplyDeleteOmg! I have to have this book. Lol. Love ypur books !
ReplyDeleteAwesome book. I really enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDelete@Kaylee Nizza - Charlene will be so glad to hear that you loved what you read so far and are interested in reading the book. She is very at her craft and believe me you won't want to miss this book at all. Thanks for stopping by come back soon. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteChar
@ Janine Sooo glad that you got to read and that you enjoyed as much as I did. Charlene will be so happy to hear it.
ReplyDeleteHave a great evening.
Char
Thanks for the excerpt. Know this will be a good read. Her books always are. I especially like her Westerns.
ReplyDelete