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“Just friends” isn’t working. Sparks are flying. Until dark clouds from the past threaten disaster.
A Wyoming Romance Novel Book 2
by Anne Carrole
Genre: Contemporary Western Romance
“Just friends” isn’t working.
Sparks are flying.
Until dark clouds from the past threaten disaster.
A friends-to-lovers story from award-winning author Anne Carrole
Recent air force veteran and reluctant cowboy, Rusty “to the rescue” Russell, has set his sights on the attractive independent-minded event planner who says she’s too busy to get involved. That mindset is what makes Kristy Winslow a perfect candidate for a casual relationship. Because with past traumas still haunting him, he doesn’t dare commit to anything more. But keeping her at arm’s length is more difficult than he bargained for.
Kristy Winslow has no desire to date again, since her last relationship went terribly wrong. Besides she needs to focus on her new career opportunity because failure is not an option. But the charming cowboy’s persistence and promises of a no-strings fling has Kristy throwing caution to the wind. If only she can keep her mind on the job and her heart from getting broken by this complicated but intriguing redhead.
Love is in the air, but will demons from the past pull them apart or make them stronger together?
A Wyoming Romance Novel Book 1
Cozy up with this holiday romance filled with charm and good cheer.
2022 RWA/NYC Big Apple Contest Winner
Career-minded Lexi Russell seeks a calm, predictable life that doesn’t require taking chances. But coming home to Wyoming for Thanksgiving, she finds out her carefully orchestrated life has imploded. Her “perfect” boyfriend has been cheating on her, her lucrative job has been eliminated, and the family ranch is on the chopping block. In addition, the teenage boy who broke her heart one summer a decade ago has turned into a handsome cowboy who’s planning on buying her family’s ranch with a lowball offer and her parents’ blessing. She’s got to figure out a way to help her parents avoid a serious mistake, find a new job, and stop her growing attraction to the cowboy who dumped her. With Christmas on the horizon, things take an unexpected turn that will force her to decide whether love is worth the risk.
Anne Carrole is an award-winning author of contemporary and historical western romances. Raised on a farm with horses, dogs, cats, chickens, rabbits, and whatever other animals she could convince her parents to shelter, she’s married to her own sweet-talking hero and is the proud mother of a twenty-something cowgirl. Besides the Wyoming Romance novels, you can also enjoy her popular Hearts of Wyoming series where love gets a second chance. Visit her website at https://www.annecarrole.com
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One of my favorite scenes in the book involves the bail-out-of-jail event for the charity ball fundraiser that Kristy’s in charge of as event planner for An Affair to Remember (and I love that name for an event planning company!). But first Kristy and Ariel, the event designer, have to convince people to agree to be bailed out. This scene is the two women trying to convince Rusty, the hero of the story who has his sights set on Kristy, to do this. At this stage of the story Rusty has been unsuccessful in getting Kristy to go on a date with him. While she’s been friendly, she’s made it clear that she views him as a distraction at best and one she can’t afford.
Excerpt: The Cowboy’s Country Charm
He’d hardly settled on the sofa when Kristy stepped into the waiting room. She looked good. Her blond hair was loose across her shoulders, and she had on a pink T-shirt and white jeans. Simple, but on her it looked like a million bucks.
She’d made her position of not dating him clear, so why did it still bother him? He should just move on. But something about her made him want to try harder. Was it the challenge because she’d brushed him off? Or something more?
“Just the guy I wanted to see.”
His heart skipped a beat.
She glanced at the cowboy hat arrangement. “Oh, is that from June?” She bent, took a whiff, and straightened. “I love it!” She plucked the arrangement from his hands and studied it more thoroughly. “Nice balance. Great colors. And love the hat.” She peeked from behind the arrangement, her eyes sparkling. “What else do you have for me?”
A loaded question. He raised the binder. “She’s sent over her concepts for the entrance and the dais, as well. And I guess the pricing.”
“Great. Come into the office.”
Things were looking up.
When he entered the office, he was surprised to find more substantial upholstered chairs in front of her desk. And Ariel was sitting in one of them, having been hidden from view from the doorway.
“Oh good. Just the man I wanted to see.” Ariel rose and repositioned in the opposite chair so she had a view of the doorway.
Wasn’t that just what Kristy had said? Something prickled the back of his neck.
“Why’s that?”
Kristy motioned for him to sit down. He did, but his sixth sense, the one that had kept him alive in dangerous situations, hit alert.
“As you know, An Affair to Remember has the assignment for the Boots and Bells charity event,” Ariel began.
Kristy waved her hand. “And our boss is going to be out of commission for a while, so Ariel and I are in charge. We have presented our ideas to the committee . . .”
Ariel gave Kristy the side-eye. “None of which is relevant. Anyway, we are carrying out the western theme that was approved with Marcia. But since this is for charity . . .” Ariel looked at him like he was being served up for lunch.
“And please remember that, or we wouldn’t ask you.” Kristy sounded apologetic.
This couldn’t be good.
“We’ve come up with a fun idea to help raise additional money.” Ariel’s smile broadened.
Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad.
“I’m listening.” But his sixth sense was still on high alert.
“During the evening, we’re planning on a bail-out-of-jail event, but with a twist.” Ariel looked pleased with herself.
“What is that?” Jail certainly didn’t sound good.
“It’s a fun thing where people go to jail, a fake one obviously, and then someone pays to bail them out.” Ariel nodded, as if that explained it all. It didn’t.
“And why would someone pay to bail a stranger out of jail? If they want to give to the charity, wouldn’t they just make a donation?”
Kristy plopped onto her office chair.
“Well, that’s the thing,” Ariel continued. “It’s actually a dance auction.”
“A dance auction?” None of this was making sense.
“The idea is that you’re the Wild West outlaw behind bars, and someone is going to bid to spring you so that you dance with them . . .”
He rubbed his chin, hoping this was not leading to the place he feared. “Who is it that will be dancing?”
Kristy sighed. “She’s trying to ask you if you will be one of our outlaws and let the good single women of Gillette bid on a chance to dance with you.”
“Why would some stranger bid on a having a dance with me?”
“Because . . .”
Before Kristy could say more, Ariel jumped in. “You’re a good-looking guy and have that sexy-cowboy thing going on.”
He smiled. So at least Ariel thought he was sexy. He looked over at Kristy. She was blushing.
“I don’t think I’m your guy for something like this.” The only woman he wanted to dance with was standing behind the desk. “Who would want to bid on me?” And the fact that Kristy was promoting this was not a good sign for him either.
“Plenty of women if they knew you were available,” Ariel said. “Your face will be on a wanted poster so that the single women of Gillette will know you’re in the auction, and then when it’s time, we put you in the jail cell, which will be on a raised platform near the dais. And the bidding will begin,”
The thought of strange women bidding on him in public, or worse, not getting any bids, made his skin pebble, like when he’d faced down an armed enemy. “Seems right up there with getting a tooth pulled. I mean, how many single women are going to be at this shindig anyway? What if no one bids?”
“That’s not going to be a problem. I guarantee it.” Kristy sounded a lot more confident than he felt. “I mean, I’ll bid if no one else does.”
Had she really said that? He didn’t figure many strange women would want to dance with him. He didn’t exactly look light on his feet, though he could do a mean two-step. Her offer could be the silver lining and maybe the only way he’d get to be with her.
“The more who agree to participate, the more money we’ll make for the charity,” Ariel said, not waiting for his response.
Kristy leaned forward. “And that’s what this is all about, Rusty. This is for charity. Will you do it for the people who depend upon the county foundation?”
She was playing the sympathy card.
“How many other people have said yes so far?” None of his friends had mentioned it, and they definitely would have. It would be right up Colby’s alley for sure. That guy loved being the center of attention. Rusty did not.
“You’re the first person we’ve asked,” Kristy said.
“But we are asking a lot more people.”
“You’ll bid if no one else does?” He looked at Kristy. Her face was serious, but her eyes held amusement. Apparently she liked seeing him squirm.
“Yes. Absolutely. Will you do it?”
There was desperation in her voice. And he wasn’t above taking advantage of it.
He looked directly into her beautiful, sparkling sapphire eyes, the same color of the water in the lake on his family’s former ranch. “Come out for lunch with me, and I’ll think about it.”
“I . . .”
“She’d love to,” Ariel answered for her. “And while you’re thinking about it, do you think Mel and Stetson would do it? We’d like to get people from all walks of life.” Ariel shot a look of desperation at Kristy.
Kristy sighed. “I guess I can go for a quick bite.”
His pulse quickened. “Ready and waiting.”
Want to know what happens at the auction and beyond? Check it out on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F8WND5NQ Also available in Kindle Unlimited.
Here’s the blurb:
“Just friends” isn’t working. Sparks are flying. Until dark clouds from the past threaten disaster. A friends-to-lovers story from award-winning author Anne Carrole
Recent air force veteran and reluctant cowboy, Rusty “to the rescue” Russell, has set his sights on the attractive independent-minded event planner who says she’s too busy to get involved. That mindset is what makes Kristy Winslow a perfect candidate for a casual relationship. Because with past traumas still haunting him, he doesn’t dare commit to anything more. But keeping her at arm’s length is more difficult than he bargained for.
Kristy Winslow has no desire to date again, since her last relationship went terribly wrong. Besides she needs to focus on her new career opportunity because failure is not an option. But the charming cowboy’s persistence and promises of a no-strings fling has Kristy throwing caution to the wind. If only she can keep her mind on the job and her heart from getting broken by this complicated but intriguing redhead.
Love is in the air, but will demons from the past pull them apart or make them stronger together? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F8WND5NQ
Nina Soden 