To Tame a Cowboy. Jules Bennett

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      A Texas Cattleman’s Club tale of best friends falling in love

      Royal, Texas, is the perfect place for rodeo star Ryan Grant to slow down and finally show Piper Kindred she’s the woman for him. When an accident sends Piper rushing to take care of him, her sexy bedside manner suggests to Ryan that seducing his best friend will be easier than he’d expected.

      But Piper knows the lure of the rodeo circuit—and the risk of a broken heart, when Ryan realizes he’s not ready to hang up his saddle for good. She can’t let herself fall for a cowboy. If only her heart would listen!

      “You’ve seen me in a swimsuit. It’s not a big deal.”

      He couldn’t stop his eyes from roaming over her bare skin and that valley between her breasts. When he met her gaze again, he didn’t see desire like he’d hoped—he saw uncertainty.

      “You must’ve really hit your head,” she joked, but the smile failed to meet the expectation of the joke. “You’ve never talked like this before or looked at me like…like…”

      “Like what?” he murmured.

      “Like you want me.”

      “I know exactly what I’m saying and what I want, Piper.” He purposely let his eyes drop to her mouth as he slid his hand up and over her bare shoulder. “You know how special you are in my life and how much I value our friendship.”

      “Then why are you looking at me like you want to kiss me?” she whispered.

      * * *

      To Tame a Cowboy is part of the Texas Cattleman’s Club: The Missing Mogul series:

      Love and scandal meet in Royal, Texas!

      Dear Reader,

      My response when I was asked to be part of the amazing Texas Cattleman’s Club continuity series? Yes, please! Writing about hunky, sometimes rebellious Texans and the women who want to tame them… How could I say no?

      You may already be familiar with Ryan, the hot rodeo star, and Piper, the hometown paramedic. These two have been best of friends since Piper socked Ryan in the eye in grade school. But you know what they say about best friends…they make the best lovers. :-)

      Getting to know these two characters with their push-pull relationship was such a pleasure. With Ryan’s laid-back cowboy attitude and Piper’s feistiness, I couldn’t wait for them to realize they were a match made in polar-opposite heaven.

      This series was such a joy to work on with so many talented authors and friends. I do hope you enjoy Ryan and Piper’s friends-to-lovers story as much as I loved writing it.

      For more information on any of my books, check out my website, www.julesbennett.com. I love hearing from readers, so drop me a line!

      Happy reading!

      Jules

      To Tame a Cowboy

      Jules Bennett

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      National bestselling author JULES BENNETT’s love of storytelling started when she would get in trouble as a child and would tell her parents her imaginary friends were to blame. Since then, her vivid imagination has taken her down a path she’d only dreamed of. And after twelve years of owning and working in salons, she hung up her shears to write full-time.

      Jules doesn’t just write Happily Ever After, she lives it. Married to her high school sweetheart, Jules and her hubby have two little girls who keep them smiling. She loves to hear from readers! Contact her at [email protected], visit her website, www.julesbennett.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter, or send her a letter at PO Box 396, Minford, OH 45653, USA . You can also follow her on Twitter and join her Facebook fan page.

      First I have to thank Charles Griemsman,

      editor extraordinaire, for his cheering and guidance

      as we worked together on Piper and Ryan’s story.

      Second, to Shannon Taylor. Thank you doesn’t cover all you did to help me. From reading my rough draft to talking me through scenes over the phone to making sure I had my cowboy “lingo” down correctly. :-)

      And last, to the other amazing authors

      in this continuity. I had a blast swapping scenes and

      getting inside your heads for a bit!

      Contents

       Prologue

       Chapter One

       Chapter Two

       Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Chapter Eleven

       Chapter Twelve

       Chapter Thirteen

       Chapter Fourteen

       Chapter Fifteen

       Chapter Sixteen

       Chapter Seventeen

      Prologue

      Twenty Years Ago

      Piper Kindred was so sick of being snubbed by the girls who thought the only things worth talking about were their lip gloss shades and where they got their new outfit. She was also sick of being disrespected by the boys who didn’t quite know how to handle her so they just ignored her.

      Where did she fit in? God, she hated school. Even the third grade sucked. She’d switched schools so she didn’t have friends yet, but seriously, if this was how the rest of the year would go, she’d rather be home riding her horse or learning to rope. School was overrated anyway.

      Especially considering that at recess for the past two days all she’d heard were brats mocking her. Today was no different.

      “Look at her belt buckle.”

      “What kind of name is Piper, anyway?”

      “Dude, did you see that clown hair?”

      Piper rolled her eyes at the annoying kids trying to get on her nerves. It was working, but she’d never let them know