THE COWBOY WINS A BRIDE
by Cora Seton
BLURB:
All Jamie Lassiter wants is to
marry his best friend's sister and settle down for the rest of his life in
Chance Creek. He's saved his money, bought into the Cruz Guest Ranch and he's
ready for that wedding, but Claire Cruz is nowhere to be found.
Claire's too busy leaving
Montana behind to care about cowboys or their wedding plans. She's got plans of
her own - a trip around the world. She'll go as soon as she buys her tickets
and she doesn't care if she ever sees Chance Creek again.
Desperate to change Claire's
mind, Jamie proposes a bet: give him six weeks to convince her to marry him. If
he can't, he'll pay for her round-the-world tickets himself.
Claire can wait six weeks if it
means free tickets and a chance to get a little revenge on a man who once broke
her heart. She's got only one stipulation: Jamie can't touch or flirt with her
- or any other woman - while the bet is on.
Now Jamie's on the run from a
bevy of cowboy-groupie ranch guests, and Claire's learning she cares about the
ranch - and Jamie - more than she dreamed possible.
Maybe it's time to lose that
bet.
As long as Jamie loses it
first.
“Bet she shoots you down when
you do ask her,” Rob said, catching up to him.
“Bet you she doesn't,” Jamie
said, even though secretly he thought Rob might be right.
“How much? Hundred bucks?“
“You got it.“
“Good luck winning that bet,”
Cab said, overtaking them. “Seeing as how Jamie isn't asking her anytime soon.“
Jamie frowned. “I'll ask her
soon.“
“Bet you can't marry her by
Labor Day,” Rob said.
“If you're getting married in
ten weeks, you better hurry up and pop the question,” Ethan said from behind
them.
“I'm not marrying Claire on
Labor Day,” Jamie said. His plan called for using the summer to build her
interest in the ranch. At some point, he'd ask her out, and in the fall he'd
suggest they move in together. Maybe he'd propose at Thanksgiving. Sure, he'd
bought the ring early, but experience had taught him to be prepared. Like Ethan
said, some occasions were more romantic than others. If things should move
faster than he expected, he didn't want to be caught short.
And…well, he was looking
forward to being engaged to Claire.
“You admitting she'll turn you
down?” Rob said. They reached the stack of chairs again, and added the new ones
to the pile.
“No. I'd just like to go on a
few dates before I ask her.” Jamie straightened up.
“Chicken.“
“I ain't…“
“If you haven't asked her out
in the past decade, you aren't going to ask her now. You're blowing smoke up
your own ass if you think you're ever going to marry her.”
Jamie shoved his hands in his
pockets to keep from balling them into fists and punching Rob. “I ain't chicken
and I am going to ask her.“
“Hundred bucks says that come
Labor Day, you're still single,” Rob said. “Safest bet I ever made.“
Cab, joining them, laughed out
loud. “Got that right.“
“He's got to think it over for
another twelve years,” Ethan chimed in. “Doesn't do to rush these things.“
Jamie bristled at this group
attack on his cautious personality. “Hundred bucks says I'm married to Claire
by the end of the summer.”
“Deal.” Rob grabbed his hand
and shook it before Jamie had a chance to reconsider. He pointed across the
lawn. “There she is, tiger. Go on and ask her.”
Cora Seton loves cowboys,
country life, gardening, bike-riding, and lazing around with a good book.
Mother of four, wife to a computer programmer/eco-farmer, she ditched her
California lifestyle nine years ago and moved to a remote logging town in
northwestern British Columbia.
Like the characters in her
novels, Cora enjoys old-fashioned pursuits and modern technology, spending
mornings transforming a neglected one-acre lot into a paradise of orchards,
berry bushes and market gardens, and afternoons writing the latest Chance Creek
romance novel on her iPad mini. Visit www.coraseton.com to read about new
releases, contests and other cool events!
Blog: www.coraseton.com
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