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In July 2016, the MILLS & BOON® AMERICAN ROMANCE® series will become the MILLS & BOON® WESTERN ROMANCE series. Same great stories, new name!
FAMILY MATTERS
Mackenzie Vaughn is determined to learn to run the Montana ranch she’s inherited—even if it means relying on Chet Granger. Years ago, the serious (and seriously handsome) cowboy broke up her relationship with his younger brother, and Mack doesn’t want to remember that heartache.
Chet knows gorgeous, spunky Mack is off-limits. His brother would never forgive him, and Chet always puts family first…until he can no longer ignore his feelings. If Chet gives in to his heart, he’ll lose his brother and the ranch they share—if he doesn’t, he could lose Mackenzie forever.
“Looks like you got a good start on the day.”
When Chet turned, he nearly collided with Mack. She sucked in a breath and looked up at him, blue eyes widened in surprise. Her lips parted, and he found his gaze moving down toward her mouth as if closing that distance would be the most natural thing in the world.
“Sorry.” He cleared his throat and stepped back. “So what brought you back here?”
“You know why. I inherited the ranch.”
“It’s more than that, though,” he said. “Most people would have sold it and taken the money.”
“Well, the timing was right. I hated my job and I missed air and rain and land and—” She blushed. “You always thought I was a city slicker, huh?”
“Yeah, maybe.” He shot her a grin.
“And I am. But even people in the city miss a connection with something real—”
He was real, and what he’d felt for her had been real, too, but she’d never recognized it.
Was this his second chance?
When my son went into the first grade, he wanted to know how to find a friend. I told him to stand still, be quiet and look around himself. There’d be the noisy kids, the funny kids, the in-your-face kids. But if he wanted a really good friend, he needed to wait until he saw the quiet kid by the wall. That’s the winner. Bonus points if the kid was carrying a book.
My husband and I found each other the same way. He was quiet, the kind of guy who stood back and looked around. He wasn’t flashy. He wasn’t a flirt. He was strong, honest and stubborn as all get-out. And he could take my breath away like no other! The guys on the periphery—the Chet Grangers of the world—are worth a second look. They’re the ones who have more to offer, and that depth of character is priceless.
It isn’t easy being a bookish type, but we don’t have to do it alone. Finding fellow readers and other wallflowers makes all the difference…even for writers.
If you’d like to connect with me, you can find me on Facebook under Patricia Johns Romance, or you could come by my blog at patriciajohnsromance.com. I love to hear from readers, and you’re guaranteed a reply. I’m another one along the wall—the observer, the mildly uncomfortable one. And if you’re interested in bonus points, I’m pretty much always working on a book!
Patricia Johns
Her Stubborn Cowboy
Patricia Johns
PATRICIA JOHNS writes from northern Alberta, where she lives with her husband and son. The winters are long, cold and perfectly suited to novel writing. She has a BA in English lit, and you can find her books in Mills & Boon Love Inspired and Mills & Boon American Romance lines.
To my husband, who inspires the romantic in me.
Contents
Chet Granger wanted her land, and Mackenzie Vaughn knew it. He’d offered to buy it from her grandmother multiple times over the years, and now that her grandmother had passed away, leaving the ranch to Mackenzie, she was waiting for the inevitable offer.
And she would refuse. That was a given. The last person in this county she intended to sell this land to was Chet Granger. They had a bit of a history together, and if anyone was going to benefit from this land, it wouldn’t be him. Business wasn’t supposed to be personal, but this time it was.
As a small white goat passed her, Mackenzie patted its rump and wiped the back of her hand over her moist forehead. The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows through pools of warm sunlight. The peeling red barn loomed behind, its shadow stretching out like a