Hot, Young Cowboyâ¦
Winning dominated Riley Fitzgeraldâs mind...until the day he met Maria Alvarez. Now, all the rodeo champ can think about is winning Mariaâs heartâa task that may be tougher than busting broncs.
Beautiful, Older Teacherâ¦
As a struggling teacher of at-risk teens in an impoverished, gang-infested neighborhood, Maria doesnât trust the affections of a rich, hot-shot cowboy, especially one whoâs ten years her junior. But she canât deny the attraction between themâand luckily, Rileyâs never been one to back down from a challenge.
Is She Out Of Her Mind?
Thereâs only one thing thatâs more important to Riley than earning another world title, and thatâs earning Mariaâs trust. Heâs got one chance to prove to Maria that heâs all the man sheâll ever need, and sheâs the only woman heâll ever want.
The cockpit door opened and the sexiest man Maria had ever laid eyes on stepped into view.
He tipped his cowboy hat. âHowdy, maâam. Sorry about the mess I made. Iâll cover the damages.â
When he grinned Maria swore her heart flipped upside down in her chest. âWho are you?â Maria tried to squelch the fluttering in her stomach; she was too old to swoon over a man.
Riley stepped closer and spread his arms wide, grinning. âIâm a cowboy.â
âArenât they all,â Maria said, rolling her eyes.
Amused, Riley tapped a finger against his belt buckle. âStanding before you, maâam, is a bonafide world champion bronc-buster.â
âDonât call me that.â Mariaâs brown eyes flashed with warning.
âCall you what?â
âMaâam.â
Riley winked at her. Leaning in, he whispered, âEverything else that comes to mind would make you blush.â
Dear Reader,
What woman wouldnât be thrilled to have the attention and admiration of a younger man? The older woman/younger man relationship is becoming more and more accepted in todayâs society. There are countless studies attesting to the compatibility of couples with an age difference of ten or more years. But age isnât the only roadblock standing in Riley and Mariaâs way of a happily-ever-after.
Living in the trenches of Albuquerque, Maria has devoted her life to helping at-risk teens avoid gangs and succeed in school. Maria is street smart and savvyâexcept when it comes to sexy young cowboys. Sheâs flustered and beside herself when the reigning world champion bronc bustinâ cowboy sets his sights on her. Riley sees no problem with him being wealthy and Maria barely getting by. Him being Caucasian and she being Hispanic. Him flying his own plane and she driving a beat-up station wagon. If Maria listens to her heart and not the demons undermining her confidence, she might see that aside from his young, sexy, adventurous spirit, Riley is the man who holds the key to her heart and a brighter futureâhers and the teensâ sheâs trying to help. I hope you enjoy watching Riley and Maria struggle to make their May-December romance official!
For information on other books in my Rodeo Rebels series and to sign up for my monthly newsletter, please visit www.marinthomas.com.
Cowboy up!
Marin
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marin Thomas grew up in Janesville, Wisconsin. She attended the University of Arizona in Tucson on a Division I basketball scholarship. In 1986, she graduated with a B.A. in radio-television and married her college sweetheart in a five-minute ceremony in Las Vegas. Marin was inducted in May 2005 into the Janesville Sports Hall of Fame for her basketball accomplishments. Even though she now calls Chicago home, sheâs a living testament to the old adage âYou can take the girl out of the small town, but you canât take the small town out of the girl.â Marinâs heart still lies in small-town life, which she loves to write about in her books.
To Kevinâhusband and best friend.
This past May we celebrated twenty-five years of wedded bliss! Who would have predicted a few stolen kisses in a dorm stairwell would lead to getting hitched in Vegas and settling into our first home in Phoenix. We didnât stay put longâ¦off we went to The Golden State. Along the way we added two kids and a dog. Then we headed to the Garden State for a couple of years before migrating west again to the Centennial State. From there we planted roots in the Lone Star State, added two more dogs and Taz the hamster to our family before packing up and moving to the Prairie State. This year we finally made it back to the place we began our life togetherâ¦the Grand Canyon State. What an amazing ride itâs been and one I wouldnât trade for the world! But Iâm tired. I vote we stay put the next twenty-five years, find us a couple of rocking chairs, kick back and watch our kids navigate life, marriage and children while we grow old together.
I love you, GB!