He can say no to everything but her...
Nate Marshall used to be a yes-man...until being so agreeable cost him dearly. But Eden Quinn has a way of getting him to reconsider his âjust say noâ policy. Which is how a bunch of troubled teens end up at his ranch for the weekend. The boys in Edenâs care are a handful, and Nate canât help but be attracted to the feisty, independent woman who keeps them in line. This cowboy knows Edenâs no damsel in distress, yet itâs clear hers isnât a one-woman job. If sheâs determined to do everything on her own, how can he help her...let alone get her to fall for him?
Nate slid the envelope over to Eden.
âI donât know what to say.â
He lifted her chin. âSay okay. And that youâll find a safe place to keep it until you need it for a contractor, new appliances and whatnot.â
âA safe place?â Eden sighed. âIs there such a thing these days?â
âWould you feel more comfortable if I held on to the money? Say the word and name the amount you need, and Iâll be right over to deliver it.â He grinned. âProbably at mealtime.â
âThank you doesnât begin to cover what I feel.â Eden focused on something beyond his left shoulder. Nate couldnât pinpoint the change in her expression. Anger? Fear? Disgust?
âNo thanks necessary. I like those kids.â And I like you. âIâm glad I can help out a little.â
âA little?â Eden laughed. âI took a writing class a few years ago,â she said, âand the instructor stressed two things over and over.â
âOh?â
âOneâdonât undervalue your contributions.â
She leaned in close, real close.
âAnd whatâs number two?â
âShow,â she whispered, âdonât tell.â
Eden pressed her lips to his, a lingering, heart-pounding kiss that left him breathless, wanting more.
When it ended, he looked into those striking storm-gray eyes and found a word to describe the subtle shift in her mood, and it hurt like a roundhouse punch to the gut: obligated.
Dear Reader,
At one time or another, weâve all recited the adage, âYou canât judge a book by its coverâ and the olâ Will Rogers quote, âYouâll never get a second chance to make a first impression.â Put the two together and weâd sound a little like my secondary character Shamus Magee: âYouâll never get a second chance to judge a book by its cover.â Not even Eden Quinn, who relies on his grandfatherly insights, knows if Shamusâs mixed metaphors are deliberate or just a facet of his quirky personality. She has a surrogate mom of sorts, too: Cora Michaels, who teaches Eden that sometimes even the best mothers raise not-so-good kids. Itâs a particularly tough lesson for Eden, whose life and career are dedicated to helping troubled teen boys...
Surrounded by a loving, tight-knit family, Nate Marshall doesnât need surrogate relatives. His raised-as-brothers cousins, Sam and Zach, know when things arenât right and have no trouble doling out much-needed adviceâwhether Nate thinks he needs it or not!
As an avid reader, youâve no doubt figured out that secondary characters are integral to a storyâs design...and the main charactersâ development. Secondaries serve as sounding boards, advisors, even comic relief, and their interactions with the main characters allow readers to see deep into the minds and hearts of a bookâs stars, too.
After youâve finished reading Sweet Mountain Rancher, Iâd love to hear which secondaries were your favorites!
Meanwhile, hereâs hoping your life is filled with caring, helpful âsecondariesâ!
Wishing you only the best,
LOREE LOUGH once sang for her supper. Traveling by way of bus and train, she entertained folks in pubs and lounges across the USA and Canada. Her favorite memories of âdays on the roadâ are the hours spent singing to soldiers recovering from battle wounds in VA hospitals. Now and then she polishes up her Yamaha guitar to croon a tune or two, but mostly she writes. Her past Mills & Boon Heartwarming novel, Saving Alyssa, brought the total number of Loreeâs books-in-print to one hundred (fifteen bearing the Mills & Boon logo). Loreeâs work has earned numerous industry accolades, movie options and four- and five-star reviews, but what she treasures most are her Readersâ Choice awards.
Loree and her real-life hero split their time between Baltimoreâs suburbs and a cabin in the Allegheny Mountains, where she continues to perfect her âidentify the critter tracksâ skills. A writer who believes in giving back, Loree donates a generous portion of her annual income to charity (see the Giving Back page of her website, loreelough.com, for details). She loves hearing from her readers and answers every letter personally. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
This story is dedicated to all the good-hearted people who see to the needs of helpless kids when their loved ones canât...or wonât. Thereâs a special place in heaven for all of you!