The Cowboy’s Little Surprise
(The
Hitching Post Hotel #1)
by Barbara White Daille
About the Book:
THE
LONG WAY HOME
A
guy like Cole Slater is hard to forget. Tina Sanchez should know—for years
since high school she's tried to bury the pain of Cole's cruel betrayal. But
it's impossible to ignore the man she sees reflected in her young son's eyes
now that Cole is back in her life—and about to meet the child he never knew he
had.
Returning
home to New Mexico, Cole is determined to put his playboy reputation to rest.
Especially now that he knows there's a little boy looking up to him. And seeing
Tina again reignites all the feelings Cole ran from as a teen. Despite his fear
that he can't be the man Tina deserves, he's determined to try. For his son's
sake—and his own.
Available in both print and e-book formats! For more info:
Amazon | B&N | Books-a-Million | Harlequin | Kobo | IndieBound
~*~*~*~*~*~
Excerpt :
This excerpt comes from a scene shortly after Cole has
arrived at the Hitching Post. Tina is still shaken from their meeting, and his
request upsets her even more….
She should have known better than to fall for Cole Slater. At the
tender age of seven, she had already heard about his reputation as a
sweet-talker. By junior high, he had progressed to a real player. And by senior
high, he had turned love-’em-and-leave-`em into an art form, changing
girlfriends as often as she replaced guest towels here at the Hitching Post.
Too bad she hadn’t remembered all that when he had finally turned his
attention her way.
He shoved his hands into his back pockets, which pulled his shirt taut
against his chest. Now, she felt herself flushing as she recalled the one and
only time—
No, she wasn’t going there.
And he wasn’t staying here. “You must have made a wrong turn somewhere.
I suggest you find your vehicle, wherever you might have left it—”
“I parked near the barn—”
“—and be on your way.”
“—and to answer your question, I came to see Jed.”
“What for?”
“He invited me.”
“Then I assume you’ve seen him already and, as I said, you can be on
your way.”
“You and I need to have something out first.”
Please, no.
Had he caught a glimpse of Robbie, after all?
He shifted his stance and crossed his arms over his chest. “I didn’t
expect to run into you this soon, but since we’ve met up, it’s as good a time
as any to talk.”
“I don’t really have anything to say to you.”
“But I’ve got something to say to you.”
He ducked his head, looking suddenly like the kindergartner made to
give back the lollipop he’d just sweet-talked out of her hand. Even in those
days, she’d have given him anything.
One night in high school, she’d proven that.
She turned to the truck and grabbed another sack. “I’m busy, sorry.”
“I’ll give you a hand, and then we can talk.”
“No.”
He had stepped up beside her and stood only a few inches away. His nearness
unsettled her.
The thought of him going back into the hotel upset her even more.
While she and Abuela
had been in town, her son had stayed over at the ranch manager’s house on the
property. But Pete’s housekeeper might be bringing Robbie back home any minute.
“All right,” she conceded. “Say whatever you want to say right here.”
“I’m sorry.”
She blinked. “What?”
He ducked his head again, then tugged the brim of his hat down, shading
his eyes. “Look, I know I acted like a real jerk to you back in high school.”
“High school? You mean that lunchtime you turned me down when I asked
you to the dance?” The
time you humiliated me in front of everyone in the school cafeteria?
“I’m over that.”
“You are?”
“Of course.”
“Well. That’s good. But I still feel I owe you an apology.”
“Oh, please. Don’t even think twice about it.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” She forced a smile and hoped he couldn’t see her
grinding her teeth in frustration. She just wanted him gone. Off the ranch.
Anywhere but right here, right now.
“Well, that’s good,” he said again. “I’m glad you’re not holding any
bad feelings against me, since we’ll probably be seeing a lot of each other.”
“I doubt it. The hotel keeps me busy and close to home. I don’t go into
town much.”
“You won’t have to.” His smile didn’t look the least bit forced.
“You’ll see me here. I’m back to working for Jed.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
About the Author:
Barbara
White Daille lives with her husband in the sunny Southwest. Though they love
the warm winters and the lizards in their front yard, they haven’t gotten used
to the scorpions in the bathroom. Barbara also loves writing, reading, and
chocolate. Come to think of it, she enjoys writing about those subjects, too!
Barbara
wrote her first short story at the age of nine, then typed "The End"
to her first novel many years later...in the eighth grade. Now she's writing
contemporary romance on a daily basis. Sign up for her newsletter to keep up
with the latest in her writing life: https://barbarawhitedaille.com/newsletter.
Social Media Links:
Amazon
author page http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-White-Daille/e/B002J6B0QQ
Harlequin
author page https://www.harlequin.com/shop/authors/23759_barbara-white-daille.html
Hi, Crystal! Thanks so much for spotlighting the first Hitching Post Hotel story.
ReplyDeleteReaders - I hope you enjoyed the excerpt and will check out the book and the series. And feel free to leave a comment or question. I'll be around all weekend.
Aw, sounds heartwarming! Congrats on the release, Barbara!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much. Glad you like the sound of it. This is the first book of the series, and the newest stories released in March and May. They've all been such fun to write! Thank you for dropping by and commenting.
ReplyDelete