Wrangling Her Heart
Thereâs a lot riding on Witt Bucktonâs fresh start in Martins Gap, Texas. His cousins at Blue Thorn are counting on him to make the new arm of their ranch business a success. First, however, heâll have to figure out how to work with Jana Powers. The petite, energetic spitfire immediately locks horns with the blue-eyed rancher. But she doesnât just challenge himâshe captivates him. As they work together, Witt and Jana discover common groundâ¦and something more. Sweet Jana has left her brand on Wittâs heart, and now he faces his greatest challenge yet: convincing her that love can be worth the risk.
âIâm not talking as your boss right now, Jana.â
Witt tapped her head, making her look up at him. She knew sheâd be lost when she did, for the look in his eyes seemed to go right through her. There wasnât any hope of hiding what had grown between them at that point. Whether it made business sense or not hardly mattered. âIâm talking as yourâ¦friend,â he said, the hesitation speaking volumes. After a moment, he leaned in and left a soft kiss on her cheek. She felt herself dissolve under the tenderness. âAs someone whoâ¦cares about you.â
She didnât even realize that her hand had lifted to the spot where heâd kissed her until she followed his gaze. âWittâ¦â
âYeah,â he said softly, touching her hand as it lay against her cheek. âWeâre going to have to figure out what to do about that. But not now.â
ALLIE PLEITER, an award-winning author and RITA® Award finalist, writes both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion for knitting shows up in many of her books and all over her life. Entirely too fond of French macarons and lemon meringue pie, Allie spends her days writing books and avoiding housework. Allie grew up in Connecticut, holds a BS in speech from Northwestern University and lives near Chicago, Illinois.
Chapter One
Jana Powers stared at the truck in front of her. âItâs blue.â
Her new boss, Witt Buckton, didnât seem to especially mind. âYes, it is.â
Jana pushed up her sleeves. Sheâd tried to dress professionally for this first meeting with her supervisor, wearing her chefâs coat, but even in October Austin was still too warm for it. Texas could still hit ninety degrees on a daily basis in the fall. âNo, I mean itâs really blue.â The food truck was, in fact, an alarmingly bright turquoise. Brilliantly blue. One might accurately say âloud.â Uh-oh. Was Witt Buckton one of âthoseâ kinds of restaurant ownersâthe kind who put public relations above everything and cared more about gimmicks than quality?
Keep an open mind. Ellie said this guy was smart and nice. Then again, this guy was Ellieâs cousin, and Ellie was really more colleague than friend.
She stared at the vividly hued truck again. From a marketing standpoint, the color might make senseâit certainly stood out, and was memorableâbut who would want to eat in a glow that intense? She might have to don sunglasses just to work inside the thing. Please, donât let it be that color on the inside.
âItâs a marketing thing.â Jana was glad to note a touch of apology in Wittâs voice that hinted maybe his priorities werenât totally skewed toward PR. âThe color is a trademark for the Blue Thorn Ranch.â
Jana looked at him. He was part of the Buckton familyâthe clan who had owned the Blue Thorn Ranch for several generations and to which her former coworker Ellie belongedâbut he was a cousin, not one of the immediate family. Still, a long look allowed her to connect the dots almost instantly. Ellie was a Buckton, and her eyes were the same brilliant turquoise as Wittâs. If those eyes were a family trait, then she could understand why the ranch had adopted that shade as its trademark. âI get it,â she offered. âButââ here she applied her friendliest smile ââdonât you think you went a bit overboard on the paint job?â
Oops. Wittâs eyes went a touch cold, and Jana fought the urge to whack her own forehead. Not everyone needs to hear every opinion youâve got. Especially not your new boss. Remember how much you want this job?
âI told you to meet me at the blue truck,â Witt said in a crisp, mildly annoyed tone. He tucked his hands in his pockets. âTell me, did you have any trouble finding the blue truck?â