This ain’t their first rodeo...but there are a lot
of other firsts they can experience together.
Skeeter
Anderson was born to ride bulls. He bypassed college to shoot straight to the
top of the elite pro tour, but lately all he can seem to do is hit the dirt. Unwilling to admit his
career might be over at twenty-one, Skeeter brainstorms a bull-riding boot camp
with his buddies, which will put him closer to a girl who’s caught his eye—a
stock contractor’s daughter called Riley.
Riley
Davis lives and breathes bulls. Since her mother’s death, she’s been her
father’s business partner as well as the apple of his eye—until a coronary rips
him out of her life. Now, at nineteen, she must find a way to hang onto the
family business.
When
Skeeter hears about Riley’s dad, he drives straight to Mississippi to lend her
a hand, his buddies hot on his heels. Suddenly Riley has more help than she can
shake a stick at, and an attraction to Skeeter that’s heating up by the
minute...
Warning:
Contains cowboy yoga, cowboys in love, and a romance that hits so hard and
fast, it makes being thrown from a bull look like a friendly game of hopscotch.
EXCERPT from THROWN (rated G)
10 Years Ago
Glen
walked over with the bull rope that had fallen off the bull right after Skeeter
had. He looped it over the rail and shook his head. “Damned if he don’t remind
me of you, Coop.”
“Oh,
really?” Cooper cocked a brow.
“Yup.
You get that same look in your eye after a ride.” The man grinned.
As
Glen walked away in the direction of the barn, Cooper’s gaze shot to Skeeter.
“If that’s true, then God
help you, boy. You’re bound to have a tough life ahead of you.”
Skeeter
could handle it. His life hadn’t been a piece of cake so far anyway. But the
life of a professional bull rider like Cooper? He was ready for whatever that
threw at him.
The
sound of gravel crunching on the driveway caught Skeeter’s attention. He turned to see his mother’s car
inch its way toward the ring. He hardly held himself in check so he didn’t go
running toward her. The only thing preventing him was that he didn’t want to
act like a little kid in front of Cooper.
She
seemed to take an eternity to park and then walk toward him. She stepped
carefully through the dust and the sparse grass. Her waitress uniform looked so
out of place next to the practice pen it might have made Skeeter laugh if he
hadn’t been so excited, but his mom didn’t seem to notice or care that she
didn’t fit in here dressed like that.
Cooper
must have noticed her uniform though. He was staring at her as she made her way
from the parked car to the ring.
Skeeter
jumped to explain. “My mom works at the diner weeknights after her shift at the
hospital is over. She works there on Saturdays too. That’s why she’s wearing
that uniform.”
“That’s
a lot of work for one lady.” Cooper shot Skeeter a sideways look. “What’s your
daddy do for a living?”
“I
don’t know. He doesn’t live around here.”
After
a second, Cooper nodded. His gaze shifted, moving to Skeeter’s mom and then
back to Skeeter. “There ain’t nothing wrong with having two jobs and working
hard, son. Except I suppose it doesn’t leave her much time for herself, now
does it?”
“Sure,
it does. She has Sunday mornings off. We go to church and then she and the
ladies there have coffee and cookies together while the kids go play outside.”
Cooper
nodded again, but by then Skeeter’s mother was close enough he could tell her
about his ride. “Mom! Cooper said I did great and I can ride again tomorrow.”
She
raised one brow. “Is that so? And it’s proper to call him Mr. Holbrook.”
Cooper
grinned. “That’s fine, ma’am. Cooper works for me.”
“As
long as it’s all right with you.” His mother didn’t smile even though Cooper
was smiling at her. In fact,
she looked a little sad as she looked at Skeeter. “But I’m not sure about
another lesson so soon.”
No! She couldn’t say that.
“I
need to keep practicing if I’m gonna get good.” When she pressed her lips
together in a move Skeeter had seen many times, his heart sank. She was going
to say no. It was no use, but he had to try anyway. “Please.”
She
drew in a slow breath.
“Ma’am. If I might step in here for a second?”
Finally
letting out that big breath, she glanced at Cooper. “Sure.”
“I
could use someone to help me out here. If you dropped him off for a few hours a couple of days a week,
he could do a little work around the place and then I could get him on a few
bulls. It would only be when I’m around, of course. I do a lot of traveling,
but if I’m here, he’s welcome.”
She
bit her lower lip before she nodded. “That would be real nice of you, Mr.
Holbrook.”
“Nah,
he’d be doing me the favor helping out. And it’s Cooper, remember?”
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