Claimed By The Cowboy
The reunion that pits city vs. country…and turns old friends to lovers.Josh Calhoun escaped the rat race to run his family’s farming operation. But when he returns to Chicago to mediate an inheritance dispute, he’s confronted with the past: Dr. Lucinda Wilde. As his best friend’s old girlfriend, she’s always been off-limits. But his best friend is gone, and now the unavoidable attraction between them makes Josh think it is time to stake his claim…Will being with the rugged cowboy feel like a betrayal of her sweetheart’s memory, or will his touch be this city girl’s long-awaited reawakening?
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The reunion that pits city versus country...and turns old friends to lovers.
Josh Calhoun escaped the rat race to run his familyâs farming operation. But when he returns to Chicago to mediate an inheritance dispute, heâs confronted with the past: Dr. Lucinda Wilde. As his best friendâs old girlfriend, sheâs always been off-limits. But his best friend is gone, and now the unavoidable attraction between them makes Josh think it is time to stake his claim...
Will being with the rugged cowboy feel like a betrayal of her sweetheartâs memory, or will his touch be this city girlâs long-awaited reawakening?
Lucinda knew that she needed to do something.
Say something, maybe even shut the door.
But Josh had just short-circuited her brain.
âI have Thai,â he said, leaning back but not stepping clear. âA bottle of California chardonnay, and some ice cream from this new place Iâve heard ofâCalhoun Creamery?â He winked at her. âI hope itâs good. I got you mint chocolate chip.â
He kissed her. He remembered what her favorite kind of ice cream was.
And, more than any of that, he was here.
Josh was still standing over her, smiling down as if he was enjoying her complete and total befuddlement. âIâll just put this in the kitchen, shall I?â
âOh. Yes.â She gestured in the general direction of her kitchen and managed to get her door shut. She was suddenly very aware of why, exactly, having Josh at her place made her so twitchy.
It was because they were alone.
* * *
Claimed by the Cowboy is part of the Dynasties: The Newports seriesâPassion and chaos consume a Chicago real estate empire.
Welcome to Chicago! I lived in Chicago for almost six years. Although itâs been over ten years since we left the Windy City, going back to Chicago was very much a literary homecoming for me, just like it was for Josh Calhoun.
Josh went to Chicago, fell in love and got married. But that life fell apart and he returned to the familyâs dairy business in Iowa. Now heâs back for the first time in years to help out his friends, the Newports.
The last person he expects to run into is Lucy Wilde. Lucy had dated his best friend before the poor guy died of cancer and Josh and Lucy had a falling-out at the funeral. Dr. Lucinda Wilde is the preeminent cancer specialist in Chicago and in charge of Sutton Winchesterâs health. When she sees Josh, Lucyâs reminded of everything she gave up back in school. Sheâs not sure she can handle this blast from the past, but Josh refuses to give up on their friendship a second time.
Claimed by the Cowboy is a sensual story about fighting for your dreams and falling in love. I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. Look for other Dynasties stories for more about the Newports and the Winchesters! Be sure to stop by sarahmanderson.com and sign up for my newsletter at eepurl.com/nv39b to join me as I say, Long Live Cowboys!
Sarah
SARAH M. ANDERSON may live east of the Mississippi River, but her heart lies out West on the Great Plains. Sarahâs book A Man of Privilege won an RT Reviewersâ Choice Best Book Award in 2012.
Sarah spends her days having conversations with imaginary cowboys and American Indians. Find out more about Sarahâs love of cowboys and Indians at www.sarahmanderson.com and sign up for the new-release newsletter at www.eepurl.com/nv39b.
To Charles Griemsman, who occasionally lets me run completely wild with a story. Thank you for trusting me with your stories!
Contents
âMay I help you?â
Josh Calhoun whipped off his Hollister-Whitney trucker hat and beamed a grin at the receptionist. âI sure hope so,â he said, unconsciously letting his country accent bleed through a little more. He couldnât help it. This was the first time heâd been back in Chicago in five years and so much had changed.
Once, heâd tried to hide his accent. Heâd tried to blend in with the big city.
Not anymore.
âIâm looking for the Newport boys,â he went on, leaning his head toward the receptionist. Her eyes widened and he thought he saw a little bit of color come to her cheeks. He wasnât flirtingânot intentionallyâbut Sydney, God rest her soul, had said that this was just his way. His down-home charm was what had attracted her to him in the first place.
Damn it. He hadnât been in Chicago proper for more than thirty minutes and he was already thinking about Sydney again.
He hated this town.
âIâm Josh Calhoun,â he went on. âThey asked me to stop by.â
Which was the only reason he had bothered to come back to Chicago. Brooks, Graham and Carson Newport were old college friends, and all three men had called him recentlyâapparently, without the others knowing that they were making the same call. Brooks Newport had asked for Joshâs help in dealing with a rather stunning set of revelations about Sutton WinchesterâJosh was still having trouble putting it all in order.
