Archer Jefferson was all cowboy
More cowboy than she’d come mentally prepared to corral.
Okay, a man that droolworthy must not lack for female friends. So why had he been e-mailing her for two years? She wrinkled her nose, pushed her thick glasses back and studied him further.
Tight jeans, dirty boots. Long black hair under a black felt hat. Deep voice. Piercing eyes, she noted as he swung around, catching her staring at him. She jumped, he laughed and then he tipped his hat to her as he swung up onto an Appaloosa in a manner the stuntwoman in her appreciated.
Just how difficult would it be to entice that cowboy into her bed? Archer had put thoughts in her mind about his virility, with his Texas-sized bragging about his manliness and the babies popping out all over their ranch.
Seeing him, however, made her think that perhaps he hadn’t been bragging as much as stating fact.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tina Leonard loves to laugh, which is one of the many reasons she loves writing Harlequin American Romance books. In another lifetime, Tina thought she would be single and an East Coast fashion buyer forever. The unexpected happened when Tina met Tim again after many years—she hadn’t seen him since they’d attended school together from first through eighth grade. They married, and now Tina keeps a close eye on her school-age children’s friends! Lisa and Dean keep their mother busy with soccer, gymnastics and horseback riding. They are proud of their mom’s “kissy books” and eagerly help her any way they can. Tina hopes that readers will enjoy the love of family she writes about in her stories. Recently a reviewer wrote, “Leonard has a wonderful sense of the ridiculous,” which Tina loved so much she wants it for her epitaph. Right now, however, she’s focusing on her wonderful life and writing a lot more romance!
Archer’s Angels
Tina Leonard
THE JEFFERSON BROTHERS OF MALFUNCTION JUNCTION
Mason (38), Maverick and Mercy’s eldest son—He can’t run away from his own heartache or The Family Problem.
Frisco Joe (37)—Fell hard for Annabelle Turnberry and has sweet Emmie to show for it. They live in Texas wine country.
Fannin (36)—Life can’t be better than cozying up with Kelly Stone and his darling twins in Ireland.
Laredo (35), twin to Tex—Loves Katy Goodnight, North Carolina and being the only brother with a reputation for winning his woman without staying on a bull.
Tex (35), twin to Laredo—Grower of roses and other plants, Tex fell for Cissy Kisserton and decided her water-bound way of life was best.
Calhoun (34)—Doesn’t want the family mantle passing to him.
Ranger (33), twin to Archer—Fell for Hannah Hotchkiss and will never leave the open road without her.
Archer (33), twin to Ranger—Talking with a faraway woman in Australia by e-mail is better than having a real woman to bother him.
Crockett (31), twin to Navarro—Paints portraits of nudes, but never wants to see a woman fully clothed in a wedding gown saying, “I do” to him.
Navarro (31), twin to Crockett—Fell for Nina Cakes when he was supposed to be watching her sister, Valentine, who is carrying Last’s child.
Bandera (27)—Spouts poetry and has moved from Whitman to Frost—anything to keep his mind off the ranch’s troubles.
Last (26)—The only brother who finds himself expecting a baby with no hope of marrying the mother. Will he ever find the happy ending he always wanted?
To Nicki and Jason Flockton, for kindly sharing their love and their excitement over their children with me and our friends, the Gal Pals. Your joy was inspiring.
Much love to my children, Lisa and Dean. Don’t leave me too soon—I’m enjoying you too much.
And heartfelt gratitude to my editors, Paula Eykelhof and Stacy Boyd, whose belief in this series has meant so much to me.
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
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Epilogue
Prologue
Love at first sight? Yes. Love over time? Yes. But there are no shortcuts to the heart.
—Maverick to his sons one night, after their mother had passed, when they wondered how a man ever knew he’d found the one woman for him
From: TexasArcher
To: AussieClove
Howdy, AussieClove. What’s shaking Down Under? I just got home from riding a bull at the rodeo in Lonely Hearts Station. After the events me and some of my bros decided to drink some of the wildest concoction on the planet. We ended up baying at the moon beside Barmaid’s Creek, with some crazy gals for company. You should have seen me ride that bull—if he hadn’t come back around to the left, I would have been the first brother in my family to stay on that cursed piece of cowhide, Blood-thirsty Black.
From: AussieClove
To: TexasArcher
G’day, TexasArcher. Nothing shaking here except maybe my head. My older sister, Lucy, is devastated tonight. She and her husband have learned they can probably never have children. So I threw myself into work, hoping to stay positive.
The stunt tonight involved a boat, some fire, a shark and two guys wearing what I would call thongs. I think guys should never wear swim clothes that are smaller than their…well, you know. What do cowboys wear under those Wrangler jeans?
From: TexasArcher
To: AussieClove
Man alive, AussieClove. Sorry to hear about your sister—that’s too bad. Around our ranch, we’re having a population explosion. We’ve got babies popping out all over the place. I’m never having kids. In fact, I’m never getting married. Too complicated.
One time, I was stuck in a truck with my twin brother, Ranger, and his now-wife, Hannah, and they griped at each other for days. I finally escaped, but Ranger wasn’t so lucky. He rolled down an arroyo and demanded that a medicine man marry him and Hannah because he was convinced he had to get married to live. My twin’s weird. By the way, I wear briefs and sometimes nothing. What do Aussie girls wear under their clothes? (I can tell you right now, floss-size drawers would never hold everything of mine.)
From: AussieClove
To: TexasArcher
I’m