Cowboy Unwrapped

This cowboy can handle the heat...

For cowboy and firefighter Jake Ramsay, Christmas at Thunder Mountain Ranch is all about family, food and celebration. Okay, and maybe a chance to run into his high school sweetheart, singer Amethyst Ferguson. Six months ago, they had a scorching-hot, wild reunion...and this cowboy can’t wait for another chance to play with fire.

Now their sexual attraction is an insatiable, five-alarm blaze that’s only grown more addictive. But Amethyst has career dreams that don’t include Jackson Hole, Wyoming, or a “relationship.” Whatever this is between them, however real it feels, it can never become anything more. Once Christmas is over, Amethyst must walk away...even if they both get burned.

“You have your fantasies and I have mine...”

“You’re even prettier than I remembered.” Jake swallowed. “We stripped down so fast and then didn’t put on clothes until morning.”

Amethyst slipped her arms around his neck. “I couldn’t get enough of you.”

“We couldn’t get enough of each other.” As he caressed her, he leaned down, his lips nearly making contact. “And this would be the moment when normally I’d kiss you and thrust my tongue deep into your inviting wet mouth. But I can’t.”

Desire poured like lava through her veins. “There are other places you can kiss me.”

“I know. That was my plan.” His voice was thick with anticipation. Then he dropped to his knees and braced his hands on either side of her shoulders. “I loved having you tell me what you like. Tell me again.”

His voice grew husky. “Hearing you say what you want gets me hot.”

Dear Reader,

Season’s greetings from Thunder Mountain Ranch! I see that the big tree is up in the living room and somebody’s stringing Christmas lights along the front porch. Hey, who’s that pulling into the drive in a big black truck? Must be Jake Ramsey! He’s taken a few days off from his firefighting job in Jackson Hole so he can spend the holidays with his foster parents.

You’ll enjoy meeting Jake, because a cowboy who’s also a firefighter has hero potential coming out his ears. Think about it. He chose a profession that involves charging into burning buildings to save people and animals. That takes courage and compassion, plus a lot of lovely muscles. Oh, and whenever he’s not in uniform, he wears jeans, boots and a Stetson. It’s no wonder Amethyst Ferguson wants some quality time with Jake while he’s in town!

Welcome to another sexy adventure in the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood series. If you’ve read the preceding books, you’ll be excited to get a glimpse of some of your favorite characters gathered around the Christmas tree. But if you’re new to the series, never fear! I’ll make sure you won’t be confused about who’s who and what’s what. It’ll be a memorable holiday at the ranch, and I can’t wait to share it with you!

Merry Christmas to all,

Cowboy Unwrapped

Vicki Lewis Thompson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

A passion for travel has taken New York Times bestselling author VICKI LEWIS THOMPSON to Europe, Great Britain, the Greek isles, Australia and New Zealand. She’s visited most of North America and has her eye on South America’s rain forests. Africa, India and China beckon. But her first love is her home state of Arizona, with its deserts, mountains, sunsets and—last but not least—cowboys! The wide-open spaces and heroes on horseback influence everything she writes. Connect with her at vickilewisthompson.com, Facebook.com/vickilewisthompson and Twitter.com/vickilthompson.

For Isabeau the cat, 1994–2016. What a serene, happy soul. You will be missed.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

1

WHEN JAKE RAMSEY pulled into the circular gravel drive in front of Thunder Mountain Ranch at sundown, he thought he’d stumbled onto the set of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. His foster brothers Cade Gallagher and Finn O’Roarke stood in the freezing cold struggling to untangle a string of Christmas lights while wearing thick gloves. Why they needed more lights was a mystery because the low-slung ranch house already looked as if Clark Griswold had been there.

Happy as Jake was to see those two cowboys after all this time away, his firefighter training took precedence over a sentimental reunion. He’d bet a month’s pay neither of them had bothered to check the UL ratings to see if the fuse box could take another strand of what looked like incandescent bulbs. Hadn’t they heard of LEDs? And was that an indoor extension cord connected to the net lights on a bush by the porch? Jesus.

He wondered if Damon Harrison had approved this setup. Damon, Cade and Finn had been the original three taken in by Rosie and Herb Padgett years ago when they’d decided to make the ranch a foster home for teenage boys. Cade had become a horse trainer who worked at the ranch, now a residential equine education center for older teens, called Thunder Mountain Academy. Finn had moved to Seattle and opened his own microbrewery. Those jobs didn’t qualify either of them to handle electrical installations.