âGreat run.â
The Texas drawl startled Montana. She recognized the cowboy sheâd seen watching her from the stock pen.
âThanks.â
He grinned from beneath his straw Stetson, gray-blue eyes studying her with interest. âIâm Luke Holden, a friend of Clint and Lacyâs.â
âMontana Brown.â His handshake was strong, and he was about as cute as they came.
âClint said youâre here to compete in the upcoming rodeo.â
Heâd been asking about her. The idea sent an unwanted thrill through Montana. âI plan to.â
He grinned. âYouâll win if thatâs the case.â
Her stomach did a little electric slide at the way it lit his face up. âSo, Luke Holden, what do you do in the rodeo?â
âIâm supplying the stock. Speaking of which, I need to get back to it. Nice to meet you, Montana Brown.â He tipped his hat, turned and strode toward the exit.
Many women came to Mule Hollow to find a husband, but Montana had no room for complications.
And Luke Holden was one cowboy who had complication written all over him.
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed Her Rodeo Cowboy. Iâm always thrilled when readers choose to spend time in Mule Hollow with me and the Mule Hollow gang.
I loved the man that Luke was in this book. He didnât let the bad in his life determine who he became, but instead, he became the man he wanted to becomeâthe kind of man that heâd needed in his life as a child and hadnât been blessed to have. He became someone others could depend on. Montana needed that kind of man in her life now, and she needed the folks of Mule Hollow, too. Isnât it wonderful how God puts just what we need into our paths, just when we need it? I pray that youâll be just what someone needs in a time of need ⦠or that if you are in need, that God will place just the right person in your path to help you. He has done it for me so many times.
I hope youâll join me in the next few months for the two Mule Hollow Homecoming books. They will be Jess Holden and Colt Holdenâs stories. I donât always get to write back, but I try. Still, I love hearing from readers. You can reach me at P.O. Box 1125 Madisonville TX 77864 or debraclopton.com.
Until the next time, live, laugh and seek God with all your heart,
Her timing was going to stink. Montana Brown wasnât one bit happy about it as she and her horse, Murdock, rounded the last barrel in the arena. They were too far away from the barrel, and it was all her fault. Poor Murdock was giving it his all and she wasnât. Her mindâher focus simply wasnât where it was supposed to be⦠.
It wasnât on the barrels they were running, despite the awesome opportunity sheâd been given to train here in this beautiful huge covered arena that belonged to her cousin Lacy Brown Matlock and her husband, Clint Matlock. It was a wonderful place on the outskirts of Mule Hollowâwhich just happened to be the cutest little Texas town Montana had ever seen. Honestly, she couldnât ask for anything more perfect. But even with all these perfect conditions, instead of concentrating on barrel racing, her mind kept going where she did not want it to go ⦠her dad.
âFocus, Montana,â she muttered, feeling her horseâs muscles bunch and gather beneath her as the powerful animal cleared the barrel. Digging her heels, knowing they needed all the speed they could gain, she urged Murdock to give it one last shot of speed as they raced toward the timer.
Forgiveness. The word snapped into her thoughts like the pounding of Murdockâs hooves. Sheâd been thinking about this place since sheâd gotten up that morning, and her riding showed it. How do I forgive himâ
âStop,â she commanded through clenched teeth. âFocus!â Shoving all thoughts away, she tried to concentrate on moving with Murdock. No doubt about it, yes, sir, her timing was going to be as rank as a skunk on a windy day!
Crossing the time line, she pulled on the reins and leaned back with Murdock as the gray dug his hooves into the dirt and slowed. Cringing, she forced herself to look at the digital reading and her heart sank at the number, despite already knowing it wasnât going to be good.
Some might be satisfied with the time; she wasnât some. If she wanted to win, her time had to be better than good.
And Montana Brown was here to win.
This was her shot, and she didnât plan on wasting it. She just had to get her head back in the game.
These last few weeks, so much of her life had been turned inside out.
When Montana quit her job and walked out of her dadâs accounting firm, she hadnât known what she was going to do.
Uncertain and confused, sheâd called her cousin, Lacy Matlock. Lacy had insisted Montana come stay with her and her husband Clint. The small town of Mule Hollow where she lived was holding a huge homecoming rodeo in a month, and Lacy wanted Montana competing in it. Sheâd even insisted Montana could help take care of their new baby boy, Tate, if she was worried about a job.