Claire, Georgia, and Mary Catherine couldn’t be more different, but they promised they would be there for one another no matter what. And when they all gather in Holly Hills, Texas, for Mary Catherine’s Christmas wedding, they’ll find they have one thing in common: hearts that are about to be branded—by unforgettable cowboys.
In “Love Me, Cowboy” by Terri Osburn, wallflower Claire would be more excited about the wedding if it didn’t mean running into Mary Catherine’s brother—the bull rider she once had a scorching one-night stand with…
Ivy League volleyball coach Georgia never wanted to see Holly Hills—or another cowboy—again. But a sexy veterinarian is making her rethink her vow to never marry a Texas man in “Kiss Me, Cowboy” by Liz Talley.
Claire and Georgia both think that Mary Catherine is getting hitched to the wrong man, despite
how perfect he is. And in “Marry Me, Cowboy” by Kim Law, a local rancher with a wild reputation gives Mary Catherine a glimpse of what might have been—and what could still be…
from Love Me, Cowboy by Terri Osburn
Crossing the short distance to where he’d left his tools near the back of the truck, Tyler bent down and lifted with his left arm, only to have the box drop back to the floor with a crash. He gripped his left shoulder as his face contorted in pain.
“Tyler? What’s wrong?” Claire was afraid to touch his arm for fear of hurting him more. “Tell me what to do. I don’t know how to help.”
“It’s fine,” he said through a clenched jaw, then took several deep breaths, keeping his eyes closed. “I just forget sometimes.”
Claire caught herself taking deep breaths with him and had to make herself stop. “Forget what?” she asked.
Dropping his hand, Tyler opened his eyes and slowly lowered his shoulders. “The face wasn’t the only thing damaged in the accident. As I said at the Thirsty Cowboy the other night, my shoulder got torn up pretty bad, too. Doc has me in physical therapy and it’s mostly healed, but the weight of the toolbox was too much, I guess.”
He guessed? The man had taken years off her life with that reaction. The pain must have been excruciating to take his breath like that.
“Thank goodness you won’t be doing that anymore.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, working his shoulder up and down. “Picking up the toolbox? Not with that arm, I won’t.”
“Not the toolbox,” Claire said with a roll of her eyes. “Riding bulls. No more climbing onto the back of a beast that would rather kill you than let you stay there.”
Tyler’s face turned serious. “I have every intention of getting back on a bull.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Dead serious.”
Claire threw a hand on her hip. “If that’s supposed to be a joke, it isn’t funny.”
“I don’t make jokes about my life.” His eyes darkened. “My life. I’m a bull rider, and I’m going to continue being one. No matter what you or my sister or anyone else says.”
Jerking the toolbox off the ground with his good arm, Tyler slammed it onto the truck bed, then hopped up after it. Claire had to shuffle around to the back so she could use the bumper to climb up, but she wasn’t about to let this stubborn cowboy walk away from this argument.
“Your sister loves you,” she yelled, storming across the empty flatbed. “And I . . .” She what? Loved him? Unfortunately so, but she wasn’t about to tell him. “I care about you, too. That bull could have killed you.”
“And I could get hit by a truck tomorrow. Doesn’t mean I’m going to hide in my house.”
“That isn’t the same and you know it.” Why couldn’t he see what getting back on a bull would do to the people around him? How they’d feel if the worst happened?
Tyler turned so quickly, Claire nearly charged into him. “What if someone told you to stop teaching?”
“What?”
“Didn’t your parents push you to be a lawyer? To do your civic duty and join the family business of running towns and making decisions for other people?”
Her situation was nothing like his. “Being a teacher isn’t going to get me killed.”
“No? How many school shootings have we had in the past few years?” Tyler asked. “Life is random, Claire. A meteor could kill us all tomorrow. You have to live while you can, the way you want.” His voice dropped as his eyes held hers. “I’m a bull rider. That’s what I do.”
Claire felt deflated. He was right. It was his life, and only he could decide how he wanted to live it. But that didn’t stop her from wishing he would choose another way.
“It’s going to kill your sister when you climb back on one of those bulls.”
And it will kill me, too, she thought.
“I can’t do what she’s done, Claire. I can’t walk away from the thing I love because it’s what other people think I should do.”
The need to grab him and hold on was so strong, Claire did the only thing possible.
She backed away.
“That banner probably needs to dry before being hung up. I’ll get someone to help me with it tomorrow.”
“Claire, don’t—”
“Mom’s expecting me for dinner.” Claire looked at her watch. Then at her feet. Anywhere but at the cowboy with his hand out. “You should head out, too. Thanks for helping the kids.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, but she barely heard the words as she hopped off the truck and stepped through the open warehouse door into a chilly December evening.
“Tyler? What’s wrong?” Claire was afraid to touch his arm for fear of hurting him more. “Tell me what to do. I don’t know how to help.”
“It’s fine,” he said through a clenched jaw, then took several deep breaths, keeping his eyes closed. “I just forget sometimes.”
Claire caught herself taking deep breaths with him and had to make herself stop. “Forget what?” she asked.
Dropping his hand, Tyler opened his eyes and slowly lowered his shoulders. “The face wasn’t the only thing damaged in the accident. As I said at the Thirsty Cowboy the other night, my shoulder got torn up pretty bad, too. Doc has me in physical therapy and it’s mostly healed, but the weight of the toolbox was too much, I guess.”
He guessed? The man had taken years off her life with that reaction. The pain must have been excruciating to take his breath like that.
“Thank goodness you won’t be doing that anymore.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, working his shoulder up and down. “Picking up the toolbox? Not with that arm, I won’t.”
“Not the toolbox,” Claire said with a roll of her eyes. “Riding bulls. No more climbing onto the back of a beast that would rather kill you than let you stay there.”
Tyler’s face turned serious. “I have every intention of getting back on a bull.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Dead serious.”
Claire threw a hand on her hip. “If that’s supposed to be a joke, it isn’t funny.”
“I don’t make jokes about my life.” His eyes darkened. “My life. I’m a bull rider, and I’m going to continue being one. No matter what you or my sister or anyone else says.”
Jerking the toolbox off the ground with his good arm, Tyler slammed it onto the truck bed, then hopped up after it. Claire had to shuffle around to the back so she could use the bumper to climb up, but she wasn’t about to let this stubborn cowboy walk away from this argument.
“Your sister loves you,” she yelled, storming across the empty flatbed. “And I . . .” She what? Loved him? Unfortunately so, but she wasn’t about to tell him. “I care about you, too. That bull could have killed you.”
“And I could get hit by a truck tomorrow. Doesn’t mean I’m going to hide in my house.”
“That isn’t the same and you know it.” Why couldn’t he see what getting back on a bull would do to the people around him? How they’d feel if the worst happened?
Tyler turned so quickly, Claire nearly charged into him. “What if someone told you to stop teaching?”
“What?”
“Didn’t your parents push you to be a lawyer? To do your civic duty and join the family business of running towns and making decisions for other people?”
Her situation was nothing like his. “Being a teacher isn’t going to get me killed.”
“No? How many school shootings have we had in the past few years?” Tyler asked. “Life is random, Claire. A meteor could kill us all tomorrow. You have to live while you can, the way you want.” His voice dropped as his eyes held hers. “I’m a bull rider. That’s what I do.”
Claire felt deflated. He was right. It was his life, and only he could decide how he wanted to live it. But that didn’t stop her from wishing he would choose another way.
“It’s going to kill your sister when you climb back on one of those bulls.”
And it will kill me, too, she thought.
“I can’t do what she’s done, Claire. I can’t walk away from the thing I love because it’s what other people think I should do.”
The need to grab him and hold on was so strong, Claire did the only thing possible.
She backed away.
“That banner probably needs to dry before being hung up. I’ll get someone to help me with it tomorrow.”
“Claire, don’t—”
“Mom’s expecting me for dinner.” Claire looked at her watch. Then at her feet. Anywhere but at the cowboy with his hand out. “You should head out, too. Thanks for helping the kids.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, but she barely heard the words as she hopped off the truck and stepped through the open warehouse door into a chilly December evening.
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Author of the Amazon and Wall Street Journal bestselling Anchor Island Series, Terri Osburn started putting words on the page in 2007. Five years later she was named a finalist in the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart contest for unpublished manuscripts. That led to signing with an agent in June of 2012, and the publication of her debut novel, Meant To Be, with Montlake Romance in May 2013. Since then Terri has gone on to sell more than a million books worldwide, and her work has been translated into German, Turkish, Italian, Spanish, and French. Ms. Osburn resides in middle Tennessee with her college-student daughter, four frisky felines, and two troublesome terriers. When she isn't writing, she's either traveling the world to meet new readers, or taking on a home improvement project to justify the purchase of all the power tools now filling her garage.
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As a child, award-winning author Kim Law cultivated a love for chocolate, anything purple, and creative writing. She penned her debut work, "The Gigantic Talking Raisin," in the sixth grade and got hooked on the delights of creating stories. Before settling into the writing life, however, she earned a college degree in mathematics and worked as a computer programmer. Now she's pursuing her lifelong dream of writing romance novels. She has won the Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart Award, has been a finalist for the prestigious RWA RITA Award, and has served in varied positions for her local RWA chapter. A native of Kentucky, Kim lives with her husband and an assortment of animals in Middle Tennessee.
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A finalist in both RWA's prestigious Golden Heart award and RITA award, Liz Talley has found a home writing sassy contemporary romance. Her stories are set in the South where the tea is sweet, the summers are hot and the men are hotter. Liz lives in North Louisiana with her childhood sweetheart, two handsome children, three dogs and a mean kitty. You can visit Liz at www.liztalleybooks.com to learn more about her upcoming books.
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