Her Unbridled Cowboy (Harland County Series)

by Donna Michaels

  “You’re not my type either, darlin’,” he said, settling down by the window, arms folded across his chest. “I don’t care for city girls. Besides…” His gaze was lazy and lingering. “You’re like my kid sister.”

  Kid sister. Right. Except her body didn’t have sisterly responses to his. No. The handsome cowboy made her toes curl with his deep, sexy drawl, and her heart race should his brown eyes stare for too long. Yeah. Not sisterly.

  “Then this should be interesting,” Cole said, smile still hovering around his mouth.

  Kerri watched Jordan turn to her fiancé and frown. “What?”

  “The mistletoe, of course.” Her future brother-in-law pointed to the branch hanging directly above Connor’s head.

  Kerri’s gaze bounced from the sprig down to Connor, then to the others.

  They were all staring right at her. Oh, heck no. They’d all lost their friggin’ minds. “No way.” She couldn’t. She just couldn’t. “You can’t be serious?”

  “Of course we are,” Cole replied, looking from her to his brother. “You’re the only single girl standing here.”

  “Then I’ll go get another.” She laughed and would have left if Connor had kept his pain-in-the-butt mouth shut.

  “She’s too chicken, little brother. Must be a city girl thing. No backbone.”

  Her Unbridled Cowboy

  Harland County Series

  Book Two: Connor

  By

  Donna Michaels

  HER UNBRIDLED COWBOY

  Harland County Series/Book Two: Connor

  Copyright © 2013 Donna Michaels

  Cover Art by Ramona Lockwood © 2013

  Excerpt from Her Uniform Cowboy Copyright © 2013 Donna Michaels

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system-except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the web -without permission in writing from the author. For information, please contact the author via email at Donna_Michaels@msn.com

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  ISBN: Not Assigned.

  License Statement

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please download an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  What they’re saying…

  About Her Fated Cowboy:

  “As always, this author perfectly blended an amazing storyline, which contained characters you just can’t help but fall in love with and she worked her magic in creating a masterpiece of the heart. I even enjoyed her sense of humor sprinkled throughout, which was placed in all the right places. This is one story I highly recommend and one author I just can’t read enough from. Since this is the first book in the Harland County series, I’m eagerly looking forward to the next book.”

  —Night Owl Reviews, Reviewer Top Pick

  About Captive Hero (Time-shift Heroes Series-Book One):

  **2012 RONE Awards Nominee for Best Time Travel**

  “Captive Hero” is a compelling story about two star crossed lovers. They make an amazing couple. Their banter, chemistry and the deep love that is obvious in their interactions make them a true pleasure to read about! The story is full of twists, unexpected revelations interwoven with moments of peace and love. It’s an amazing adventure that will tug at the reader’s heartstrings and refuse to let go!”

  —InD’tale Magazine, Awarded Crowned Heart of Excellence

  “Ms. Michaels has outdone herself yet again by writing another story in which her readers can’t help but fall in love with her characters. This is another great story by Ms. Michaels that I enjoyed from cover to cover and I’m eagerly awaiting the next book to be released in this Time-shift Heroes series. Well done!”

  —Night Owl Reviews, Reviewer Top Pick

  About Cowboy-Sexy:

  “A blend of military man and cowboy …ohh my. The connection between these two is electric. This book is full of real life struggles that military couples face. These details give the story a lot of depth and heart. Yet despite the difficult topics tackled, the upbeat dialogue makes this a fun read. Readers will race through this story and then preorder the next book in the series to see what is in store for outrageous Brett.”

  —RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars

  Also by Donna Michaels

  ~Novels~

  Captive Hero (Time-shift Heroes Series-Book One)

  The Spy Who Fanged Me

  Her Fated Cowboy

  ~Novellas~

  Cowboy-Sexy

  Thanks for Giving

  Ten Things I’d Do for a Cowboy

  Vampire Kristmas

  ~Short Stories~

  The Hunted

  Negative Image

  The Truth About Daydreams

  Holiday Spirit

  ~Do-Over Series~

  Valentine’s Day Do-Over

  Valentine’s Day Do-Over Part II: The Siblings

  UPCOMING RELEASES:

  She Does Know Jack

  ~Time-shift Heroes Series~

  Future Hero—Book Two

  ~Harland County Series~

  Her Uniform Cowboy (Book 3/Kade)

  ~Dangerous Curves Series~

  Locke and Load—Book One

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for purchasing Her Unbridled Cowboy. This was the second book in my four book Harland County Series. Unruly cowboys and the women who tame them.

  Connor McCall is Cole’s older, laid-back brother. Tall and handsome, the cattle rancher loves the outdoors, but isn’t crazy about city girls. Three times he was engaged to one, and three times the relationship failed. Connor turned out to be the sweetest, biggest, teddy bear hero I’d ever written, and it was going to take an understanding ‘cowboy tamer’ to help him overcome his trust issues.

  Kerri Masters is exactly what the cowboy needs, and vice versa. Sweet and unsure, she’s homeless and unemployed, hoping to stay in Texas only until her sister is married. But of course, the matchmaking parents have other ideas.

  The unwanted attraction between the two is too strong to fight. Once they give in, they stumble and grow, falter and blossom, learning a few things about themselves along the way.

  Another hot, heartfelt, sexy read, this story also includes some of the other characters in the series. Once again, their participation rounds out this book and sets the stage for the next.

  Thanks for reading,

  ~Donna

  www.donnamichaelsauthor.com

  Dedication

  To the fans of the first book, Her Fated Cowboy. I hope you enjoy the story of Cole’s older brother Connor, the laid back cowboy and his bumpy journey!

  To my husband Michael, my family, the HOODS, and most of all, to my fellow author and friend JT Schultz who’s waited years for Connor’s story. This one’s for you, JT!

  Table of Contents

  What they’re saying…

  Also by Donna Michaels

  Dear Reader

  Dedication

  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

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Stuffed Strawberries with Yummy Cream Cheese Filling

  Chapter One – Her Uniform Cowboy

  For announcements about upcoming releases and exclusive contests:

  Chapter One

  Homeless and unemployed.

  West Coast Chef Kerri Masters silently summed up her current life situation. Her sucky life situation. Will I ever catch a break, she wondered as she stood in a roomful of people gathered at the Wild Creek Ranch, home of longtime family friends, the McCalls.

  The last place she wanted to be.

  Ever.

  She had hoped not to suffer this fate again until, oh…say never. Okay, not true. She loved her parents, and since they’d recently moved back to Harland County, Texas and were currently staying with the McCalls until renovations were completed on their old homestead, never wasn’t an option.

  But, next summer worked for her. Yes, she’d had that timeframe in mind. Not now. Not the day before flippin’ Thanksgiving.

  Leave it to fate.

  Fate.

  She swallowed a sneer, but was unable to stop a slight twist from reaching her top lip. Yeah—leave it to fate to take another swing at her life with a blasted butcher knife. Felt more like a meat cleaver. Two meat cleavers.

  Didn’t she already have enough deep cuts? Criminy. Was she walking around with an invisible sign on her back blaring, Come on, is that all you’ve got?

  “We’re just thankful you and Jordan are all right,” her mother, Hannah Masters said, pulling her into a hug.

  Again.

  This one made number seven since she’d arrived from California with her sister Jordan a little over four hours ago. She’d spent most of that time in her room avoiding…well, everyone, while Jordan did the same by saddling a horse and going for a ride.

  But that was okay. She’d understood her sister’s need to be alone. Coming here had been painful for Jordan until Cole had shown up and gone after her sister to profess his love. The happy couple had returned five minutes ago. Engaged.

  Finally.

  A good size helping of warmth invaded the almost constant chill in Kerri’s body. If ever two people were meant to be together, it was Jordan and Cole. Both had lost a spouse, and it was that shared pain, plus a long history of attraction that had brought them together at last.

  It did her heart good to know at least her sister would have a happy life.

  She also understood her mother’s worry and immediately returned the embrace. It couldn’t have been easy residing several states away and hearing about the earthquake that had destroyed her youngest daughter’s home and restaurant. My home. My restaurant.

  The sweet fragrance of jasmine filled her nose and instantly calmed the aggravation from her soul. The smell of her mother’s perfume always brought with it an invisible hug and strong sense of reassurance. Something Kerri hadn’t realized she needed until that moment.

  “I’m fine,” she said, holding back a sigh.

  “Thank goodness.” Her mother tightened her hold and shook while they embraced. “Things would’ve been a lot different if you were home when the quake hit.”

  Everyone in the gathering room knew Kerri’s stilted house had crumbled in the disaster. Kind of similar to what was left of her life.

  She would laugh if it wasn’t so flippin’ tragic.

  “And we thank God both you and your sister got out of your restaurant before it blew up,” her father, Nate Masters added from behind, his hand warm and reassuring as it closed around her shoulder in a soft squeeze.

  God, if they only knew…

  Kerri closed her eyes and recalled the image forever burned into her mind. The image of Jordan rushing across the pavement intent on turning off the gas to their restaurant despite the danger. Terror, unlike anything she’d ever felt before, had resembled a sharp skewer piercing the air from her lungs. All she had been able to manage was a panicked cry for her sister to stop.

  It was the worst moment of her life.

  “We certainly had a guardian angel watching over us that day. Didn’t we, Kerri?” Jordan’s voice from only a few steps away cut through her thoughts.

  Kerri opened her eyes and smiled at her sister, now safe and sound, happily cocooned in Cole’s arms. Matching expressions of love and wonderment adorned their faces as they stood in front of a stone fireplace, warm fire crackling in the background. The white bandage on her sister’s temple was a stark reminder of last Sunday, but did nothing to dim the mood.

  Jordan’s long, wavy brown hair fell to her waist and dark eyes held the same happy gleam as her dark haired, dark eyed fiancé.

  Okay, forget love and wonderment. Heck, given her sister’s soft smile and relaxed posture—extremely satisfied was a better description. Jeez Louise, Cole had only taken off after Jordan an hour ago. Ride time alone was close to forty minutes. How the heck did they fit in sex, let alone satisfying sex?

  It usually took Kerri that long just to concentrate when Lance used to…

  “What do you mean?” their father asked, removing his hand from her shoulder.

  Her mind stumbled a bit to get back in the conversation.

  “What guardian angel?”

  Jordan burrowed in a little closer to Cole, and he gathered her sister tighter. “Well, I just think we were both lucky that day.”

  “I don’t know about me.” Kerri stepped out of her mother’s embrace to answer her sister. “But you definitely have a guardian angel. I remember calling out to you as you ran toward the restaurant. But you didn’t stop. That’s when the most amazing thing happened.” She paused to glance around the room, a little uncomfortable with being the center of attention. That was more a Jordan thing. A trait the former cop embraced.

  “Go on. Tell us what happened next,” her father prodded.

  Kerri swallowed, then forced herself to continue. “Something…or someone, I can’t be sure, mysteriously yanked Jordan to the ground right before Comets exploded. No one was there. Just the two of us, but it was as if an invisible pair of hands had reached up from nowhere and pulled her down, out of harms’ way.”

  “Oh my…do you think it was Eric?” her mom asked, eyes wide and unblinking.

  Jordan’s late husband, Eric, had died in a convenience store robbery almost three years ago. Kerri had to admit, the thought had crossed her mind more than once in the last few days. But she honestly didn’t know.

  “Could’ve been my Cole,” Leeann McCall said, a look of pride lighting her brown eyes. “I bet he kept her safe through sheer willpower that day.”

  “True,” her husband, Alex McCall chimed in, draping an arm around his petite wife. “No one’s more stubborn than our boys.”

  Whatever it was, Kerri would be forever grateful for whatever caused her sister to hit the pavement at that exact moment. And she had to admit, now she was just a tad envious, too. Envious that her sister had found such a strong love twice in her life, while she couldn’t find it even once. All she’d managed was a disastrous marriage that had left her hurt, confused and divorced, doubting there were any good men left in the world.

  “That’s not entirely true.” A deep baritone with a hint of humor cut through the room, captivating the air into a silence of unadulterated anticipation, and sent her heart tail-spinning into her ribs, until she looked up and realized he was talking to his father.

  Still, the captivation part was typical Connor McCall fashion.

  There wasn’t an unattached f
emale in the tri-county area safe from his sex appeal. That’s why Kerri kept her gaze glued to the worn-out sole of his left boot. She knew her place. He was way out of her league. She was under no illusion as to where she stood against such a virile man. Heck, she didn’t even qualify to kiss the sole of his worn-out left boot. But that’s where her gaze remained. Much safer than traveling upward.

  She hadn’t really said more than a quick hello. He’d headed to the stables shortly after they’d arrived, and she’d happily retreated to her room to regroup. To summon strength, because she was a vulnerable mess at the moment. If she could just gather some willpower, even just a smidge, in order to resist the gorgeous cowboy…because heck, he made her feel things she had no business feeling. Cripes, she was desperate. Had to be if she was stupid enough to let herself feel something for someone like him. He was too raw, too manly.

  Yes, staring at Connor’s boot was about all she could handle at the moment. Anything higher…

  Heat shot through her body, settling in her face and other parts further south. Parts that liked to be called good, but she preferred to call them closed for the season. No way could she allow her gaze to take in the whole man. Jeez, the toned scenery of his northern terrain could make a girl want to get lost. And stay lost. Forever. Connor McCall sported a very sexy landscape restricted for equally sexy women…of which she was not.

  The reality of those words hit her with the force of an icy, cold blast. She blinked until his boot came back into focus.

  “There is someone more stubborn than us,” he continued, that darn sexy drawl sending shivers to her toes, while an unwelcomed heat pooled low in her belly.

  And she’d only just cooled off.

  “Who?” his father asked.

  “Jordan,” came Connor’s humorous reply.

  Laughter filled the room. No one would argue the fact. Once her sister made up her mind about anything, she didn’t let go. Kerri laughed, too. When the cowboy was right, he was right.