Tough Luck Hero
Can the golden boy of Copper Ridge, Oregon, get a second chance at happy-ever-after?Ranching heir Colton West knew his wedding would be the talk of the town. But he didn’t expect to get left at the altar—or to escape on the next flight to Vegas with Lydia Carpenter, the woman who gets under his skin like no one else. The only thing crazier than honeymooning with Lydia is waking up married to her. So why does he find himself entertaining his new wife’s desire to stay married—and fantasizing about a real wedding night?As Copper Ridge’s prospective mayor, Lydia can't risk a divorce scandal so close to election time. But pretending to be blissfully in love with her new husband is more confusing than she’d thought. For a man who's always rubbed her the wrong way, Colton suddenly seems to know exactly what to do with his hands. And his lips. Now Lydia's wildest mistake could turn out to be her luckiest move, if they're both willing to take the ultimate gamble…
Читать Tough Luck Hero онлайн беплатно
Can the golden boy of Copper Ridge, Oregon, get a second chance at happy-ever-after?
Ranching heir Colton West knew his wedding would be the talk of the town. But he didnât expect to get left at the altarâor to escape on the next flight to Vegas with Lydia Carpenter, the woman who gets under his skin like no one else. The only thing crazier than honeymooning with Lydia is waking up married to her. So why does he find himself entertaining his new wifeâs desire to stay marriedâand fantasizing about a real wedding night?
As Copper Ridgeâs prospective mayor, Lydia canât risk a divorce scandal so close to election time. But pretending to be blissfully in love with her new husband is more confusing than sheâd thought. For a man whoâs always rubbed her the wrong way, Colton suddenly seems to know exactly what to do with his hands. And his lips. Now Lydiaâs wildest mistake could turn out to be her luckiest move, if theyâre both willing to take the ultimate gambleâ¦
Praise for New York Times bestselling author Maisey Yates
âFans of Robyn Carr and RaeAnne Thayne will enjoy [Yatesâs] small-town romance.â
âBooklist on Part Time Cowboy
âPassionate, energetic and jam-packed with personality.â
âUSATODAY.comâs Happy Ever After blog
on Part Time Cowboy
âYates writes a story with emotional depth, intense heartache and love that is hard fought for and eventually won in the second Copper Ridge installment⦠This is a book readers will be telling their friends about.â
âRT Book Reviews on Brokedown Cowboy
âWraps up nicely, leaving readers with a desire to read more about the feisty duo.â
âPublishers Weekly on Bad News Cowboy
âThe setting is vivid, the secondary characters charming, and the plot has depth and interesting twists. But it is the hero and heroine who truly drive this story.â
âBookPage on Bad News Cowboy
Contents
SHE DIDNâT HAVE a chandelier hanging from her bedroom ceiling. But somehow, when she opened her eyes, that was what she saw.
Lydia Carpenterâs bedroom ceiling was sedate, and mostly nondescript. White. It was not bright yellow with diamonds painted around aâwell, yes, it was still a chandelier.
She squinted in the dim light and looked to the left, at the curtainsâbearing a similar pattern to the ceilingâand the near-blinding shaft of light they let into the room.
Wind from a vent somewhere shifted the curtains and let in more light. Light that promptly stabbed her in the eyeballs.
She hissed and rolled onto her back, her head pounding, the room spinning slightly.
She wasnât at home. Where else would she be?
The wedding.
Oh right. The wedding of the century, at least according to the town of Copper Ridge, Oregon. The wedding that hadnât happened. The wedding of her exâbest friend Natalie Bailey to Colton...
His name hit her like a brick. A brick thrown directly at her head. She turned away from the window and looked across the bed. She covered her mouth with both hands, trying to prevent the horrified squeak from escaping and disturbing the man that was lying there. The very beautiful man, whose brown hair was shot through with gold, and looked perfect, even in sleep. The man with the exquisitely square jaw, and lips that looked like they existed to kiss a woman. The man who was barely covered by a very brightly colored hotel bedspread.
She had never, ever, ever done anything like this in her life. Ever. Ever.
At least, she was pretty sure they had done this. Her memory could not be trusted at the moment. How was that even fair? She was in bed with Colton West and she didnât even remember what had happened.
She was... She lifted the sheets and cringed in horror. Well, she wasnât dressed, either. So there was no way to deny the very likely happenings of the night before.
What kind of friend was she? What kind of bridesmaid slept with the groom?
Though, in fairness to her, Natalie hadnât shown up to the wedding, so the groom hadnât really had a bride. And also in fairness to her, her friendship with Natalie was already splintered andâaccording to her friendâLydia had already committed a heinous betrayal by running for mayor against Natalieâs father.
But the bridesmaid dresses had already been ordered and fitted, and there had been no way to shuffle things without creating ripples in the community. And both Lydia and Natalie had wanted to avoid ripples.
Lydia nearly laughed. At the moment she wasnât experiencing a ripple. Right now she was in the middle of a tidal wave.
She got out of bed, dragging the sheet with her while making sure the thin bedspread stayed in place to keep Colton covered, and started to tiptoe around the hotel room. She assumed it was a hotel room. Unless Coltonâs bedroom was very strangely decorated.
