*Psyche Nominee * Cowboy for Hire by Isabelle Drake

I am so excited to see Cowboy for Hire on the Psyche Nominee list. 

This story is special to me for a couple reasons. I love horses and cowboys. I love gutsy heroines who do everything they can to make their dreams come true. And, of course, I love happy endings.

About Cowboy for Hire:


Anxious for adventure and the chance to prove she’s not the spoiled socialite her friends and family believe her to be, Victoria Moore buys The Circle Cat ranch, rolls up her sleeves, and begins the repairs that will turn the ramshackle place into the best dude ranch in Arizona. One thing she didn’t plan on was a dark, down-on-his-luck cowboy smashing into her barn. But when he does, she turns the problem into an opportunity. Armed with limited experience, but a lot of determination, Victoria sets out to get what she wants from the wandering cowboy.

 The last thing Lang Thompson wants is to get tangled up with a woman. Especially one who’s used to getting what she wants when she wants it. He knows what rich girls like her expect and he isn’t interested in playing games. But he’s no match for Victoria’s hardworking determination and sexy brand of innocence.

 Excerpt:
 

“You don’t strike me as the kind of girl who has that kind of fun,” he remarked, still leaning in close enough to press his lips to hers.

“Spit it out, Lang.” She inched closer, lifting her chin, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of her backing down. “What kind of fun?” she taunted.

“Short-term flings, one-night stands, quickies in the back of some guy’s truck,” he clarified with a sneer that didn’t match the glowing heat in his gaze.

Thick longing curled through her, silencing any snappy comeback she might’ve been able to think up and giving him time to continue with his idiocy.

“You were practically drooling all over Vince,” he stammered, backing up, waving his hands, “But I bet you didn’t give him your number because you knew he’d just use you to add another notch in his saddle.”

Vince?

Was he serious?

How blind could Lang be?

She’d been practically drooling all over him, he’d been too disinterested to care, let alone notice. Victoria’s simmering blood rolled to a boil. “You think I should try it, huh? One night stands? Quickies?”

“Forget it, Victoria. Like I said, you aren’t that kind of girl.”

Victoria took in the arrogant angle of his brows and frowned.

Yet another man, assuming he knew her, understood her and was even telling her how to act. “That’s, that’s…just plain stupid,” she sputtered.

Disbelief settled in his eyes and his mouth twitched. “That’s stupid? That’s the best you can do?”

So now he was challenging her?

She’d let him set the pace for way too long.

Fueled by the desire to prove him wrong, Victoria swept forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. Without giving herself time to rethink her hasty actions, she arched up and laid her mouth across his.

Passion, instant and fierce, ignited within her when he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back. Liquid want coursed through her veins as her body willingly responded to the powerful muscles of his chest, the soft tender caress of his lips, the possibilities of his strong very male body.

Absorbed by his sheer power, the smell of horses, leather and swirling dust, she let herself, tipping her head back, inviting him to deepen the kiss.

When he answered her unspoken request, awareness spread through her—he was as deliciously lost as she was. She could feel it in the eager way his hands tugged at her waist, the hungry way his mouth moved across hers.

When she gasped with satisfaction, he lifted his head. Enjoying the stunned surprise in his needy gaze and the enthusiastic hammering of her own heart, she held on tightly to his shoulders, pressing her hips closer and rocking gently against the swell of his hard penis.

Just when she was about to pull him down for another kiss, a car rolled past with two teenagers hanging out the windows, shouting and whistling loud enough to be heard all the way back at The Circle Cat.

“See?” she said, smiling as she stepped back, flushed from the fantastic sensation. “That was fun.”

 www.isabelledrake.com