Hi dear Reader,
I hope this finds you well! It has been an absolutely gorgeous
week here in Minnesota. I’m writing to you from my backyard. It’s sunny with a
slight breeze. The insects are chirping and Tank, my Longhair Dachshund, is
rolling in the grass. Yes, he was my inspiration for Clifford. It is only
fitting as he sits under my writing desk or next to me on the couch while I am working
on a story.
Thank you to everyone who has read my story, commented, or
sent me emails. I am so grateful that you took time out of your day to read my
words. The story is finished and will remain up for another couple weeks. It
will go behind a paywall on Oct 5th as that is when My Cowboy of
Convenience will go up for preorder on the retailers. So now is the time to
read it for free! Here’s the chapter index if you want to start at the
beginning or missed some chapters!
On October 5th, I’ll share the preorder link for
anyone who is interested. It is going through final edits and formatting. So exciting!
I have a short story to share with you. A couple of years ago,
I was buying my mom a bottle of wine at the Piggly Wiggly in my hometown when I
came across a little booklet at the checkout. It was 5-minute Romance Summer
Love published by Woman’s World. It
contained 40 romance stories that were about 2 pages long. It was a fun read
for those short time spans where I didn’t want to get dragged into a novel. So
I thought that I would give it a try. Here is the first one.
Lost Love at the Rodeo
Emily grabbed the doctor’s bag off the truck seat next to her before
sliding to the ground. She slammed the door to her veterinary truck closed and
took a big breath. This was the third after-hours emergency this evening. Her
stomach growled, empty from the smoothie she had for breakfast this morning.
She realized at that moment she forgot to eat lunch. She gripped the doctor’s
bag in one hand and held her cell phone in the other as she got her bearings of
the rodeo grounds.
A stream of people tricked down from the parking lot to the rodeo arena.
The announcer’s booth crackled to life with someone tapping on the
microphone and saying, “testing, one, two, three.” A line of people stood in
front of the concession stand where the aromas of kettle corn and hotdogs
teased Emily’s empty stomach. She gritted her teeth as she strode by wishing
she had time for dinner.
The message came from the
answering service that someone had a lame horse and could not wait until
business hours to be seen. Emily rolled her eyes at the message: Need
a horse vet STAT. Need to rodeo.
“If they would only take care of their horses and not
treat them like vehicles,” she grumbled to herself. “Then, things like this
wouldn’t happen.” She signed. It was all part of the jog. It pained her that
not everyone felt about their horses like she did.
She wove through the contestant parking lot. Horse trailers and campers wedged together like cows in a trailer. Most of the horses were saddled and waiting for their turn in the warm-up arena. The message said that it was the trailer at the end of the lot with Montana plates. Why was a Montana cowboy rodeoing in Texas for the summer rodeo circuit. Surely, they have rodeos up there.
She rounded the line of
trailers to the last one at the end. A shiny brand-new horse trailer with
living quarters and truck stood out from the average Texas rig. Most of the
contestants were local working cowboys. A beautiful sorrel horse stood tied to
the side. A full hay net and water bucket hung within his reach. He rested one
front foot out in front, barely putting any weight on it. Yep, this was
definitely the lame horse.
Emily walked around the
horse to the living quarters door. She raised her fist to knock when the door
swung open. A tall cowboy filled the doorway. A Stetson hat pulled low on his
forehead, shielding his eyes. Emily craned her neck to meet his gaze. His eyes
roamed from the top of head to her battered cowboy boots. The tips of her ears
reddened and her cheeks flushed under his perusal.
“I’m here to check out your lame horse.” She nodded to
the sorrel, dozing a few feet away.
A slow smile spread over
his face, causing a warmth to spread throughout her. “I’m glad you could fit
us in, Doc Emily.” He advanced out of the trailer and approached the horse. “King,
here, stepped off the trailer lame.” He untied the horse and rubbed King’s
forehead. King nickered softly and nudged the cowboy in the chest with his
nose. The cowboy chuckled, giving King a sugar cube from his pocket.
Something about the way
he rubbed the horse’s head and his laugh sparked something in Emily’s
memory. It was gone before she could catch it, though.
“Well, let me take a look at him.” Emily set her doctor’s
bag down and started her exam.
The whole time the cowboy
rubbed King’s head and crooned to him. Emily had sworn off cowboys a
decade ago, but this one was melting her heart. Plus, he was handsome, and his
horse loved him.
Emily pulled out the hoof
testers and placed it on King’s hoof. He jumped and snorted when she got to
the sore spot. She examined the hoof closer.
“Ah ha, I’ve found it.” She bent over the hoof and used
her hoof knife to dig out an abscess. Within a few minutes, pus shot from the
small hole she created in the sole of King’s hoof.
King sighed and placed
the foot squarely on the ground. Emily straightened, rubbing her lower back.
“I’ll treat it and wrap it for you. He won’t be able to
compete this weekend, though. I can write you a release to get your money back.”
She extracted bandage materials from her bag. She medicated the abscess and
wrapped the hoof in a colorful green bandage.
“I’m not worried about the entry fees.” The cowboy rubbed
King’s forehead. “I just want him to feel better.”
“Give him a few days. Soak the foot in warm water and
Epsom salts and keep it wrapped. He’ll be right as rain. Do you have any pain
meds for him?” Emily packed everything back into her bag and turned to the
cowboy.
“I have some bute. Never leave home without it.” He
smiled at her.
Something about his
smiled tugged at the corner of her mind. It made her feel giddy like a
schoolgirl as a blush colored her cheeks. “Good. He can get a dose or two.” She pulled
out her receipt book and wrote down the charges to avoid his gaze. She hoped he
didn’t notice her blush. “We take cash, checks, or credit cards.” She paused
her pen over the page. “What was your name?”
“Roy McLaughin,” he said softly.
Emily’s pen hit the ground as her whole body froze at his
words. Her heart skipped a beat before plunging forward at a gallop. She
swallowed, bringing her gaze to meet his.
His smile spread wide.
His eyes danced in merriment. He crossed his arms over his chest, his muscles
bulging as she took him in.
“Hi, Emily.” He took a step toward her, lowering his
voice. “Didn’t recognize me?
Emily shook her head,
still in shock. The familiar feeling took hold and brought back all the
memories. “Roy, I can’t believe it…it has been so long.”
He grasped her hands with
his, engulfing them. They were roughened by years of hard work and tanned from
the sun. “I didn’t think that I’d ever come back. But I am.”
Her heart leaped at his
touch. It had been years since Roy said good-bye to chase his dreams of
becoming a rodeo star. She was left with a broken heart and a full ride
scholarship to Texas A&M. He tugged her gently, closing the gap between
them. Their breath mingled and their hearts called to one another.
“Are you home for good?” Her voice shook with emotion as
she held his gaze.
His hand drifted up her
arm over her shoulder to cup her chin. He held it there as his eyes searched
hers. Emotions swirled in them. “Yes, I’m home to stay. Grandpa is retiring
and wants me to run the ranch.” He bent close to her. “What do you say about
seeing me again?”
Emily’s chest grew tight and
the words squeaked out of her. “That sounds wonderful.” His touch sent shivers
through her, making it hard to speak. Her cowboy was home again and still
wanted her.
He closed the gap. His
lips hovered above hers, unsure but hopeful. Emily stood on her tiptoes and
pressed her lips to his. The kiss lingered as it brought back all the memories
of their time together. It held promise of everything yet to come. Emily melted
against his strong chest as his arms wrapped around her, holding her like he
would never let go. He rested his chin on top of her head.
“Leaving you was my greatest regret,” he said. He pressed
his lips against her temple. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I missed you, too.” Emily leaned back in his arms. Their
gazes met and held, speaking unspoken words. Her stomach rumbled with the
forgotten hunger pains. They laughed.
“Why don’t I buy you some supper and we can catch up?” He
threaded his fingers in between hers.
