A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe
Read A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe Online
Authors: Vicki Lewis Thompson
The gun-shy cowboy...
A cowboy’s scars can last a lifetime
. Ty Slater’s cheerfulness is a carefully constructed armor. After losing his parents in a tragic accident, he was fostered at Thunder Mountain Ranch. Although Ty has learned how to survive, he hides a broken heart. He knows love leads to loss, so has vowed never to fall in love...
Unfortunately, Ty’s attraction to Whitney Jones is nothing short of a maelstrom, a desire that threatens his resolve. When she’s stranded in Sheridan for the holidays, Ty realizes he’d better find Whitney’s flaw, and
fast
—because his lust is too damn close to love. This red-hot cowboy is ready to bolt...unless Whitney shows him that some rides are
definitely
worth the risk.
Praise for Vicki Lewis Thompson
“Thompson continues to do what she does best, tying together strong family values bound by blood and choice, interspersed with the more sizzling aspects of the relationship.”
—
RT Book Reviews
on
Thunderstruck
“Intensely romantic and hot enough to singe...her Sons of Chance series never fails to leave me worked up from all the heat, and then sighing with pleasure at the happy endings!”
—
We Read Romance
on
Riding High
“Vicki Lewis Thompson has compiled a tale of this terrific family, along with their friends and employees, to keep you glued to the page and ending with that warm and loving feeling.”
—
Fresh Fiction
on
Cowboys and Angels
“If I had to use one word to describe
Ambushed!
it would be
charming
... Where the story shines and how it is elevated above others is the humor that is woven throughout.”
—
Dear Author
“The chemistry between Molly and Ben is off the charts: their first kiss is one of the best I’ve ever read, and the sex is blistering and yet respectful, tender and loving.”
—
Fresh Fiction
on
A Last Chance Christmas
“
Cowboy Up
is a sexy joy ride, balanced with good-natured humor and Thompson’s keen eye for detail. Another sizzling romance from the RT Reviewers’ Choice award winner for best Blaze.”
—
RT Book Reviews
Dear Reader,
Can you think of a better time to fall in love than Christmas? What could be more romantic than sparkling lights and glowing candles? Plus, if you’re lucky enough to live in cowboy country, winter prompts the guys to break out those sheepskin coats that make their shoulders look a mile wide. When they turn the collar up and tug the Stetson down against a cold wind, what’s not to love?
My Christmas present to you this year is Ty Slater, who happens to own both a sheepskin coat and a Stetson. You’re welcome. Ty can’t wait for Christmas to arrive. After the holidays the promotional calendar for his foster parents’ new project at Thunder Mountain Ranch flips over to January, and he will no longer be the shirtless cowboy who’s decorated walls all over Wyoming since September. But Whitney Jones, who’s been crushing on Ty’s calendar shot for weeks, isn’t nearly so eager to turn the page. Maybe she’ll have to make do with Ty himself!
I’m thrilled to welcome you back to Thunder Mountain for the holidays. Everyone’s missed you! Rosie and Herb are looking forward to a festive season now that the financial crisis that threatened their ranch this summer is over. Even better, Cade and Damon are back to stay, and Ty’s come home for a visit. Thanks to Damon’s skill with a staple gun, multicolored lights are strung along the roofline. Cade just finished plowing the road so you won’t need four-wheel drive to make it up to the house. Come spend Christmas with the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood!
Festively yours,
Vicki Lewis Thompson
A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe
A passion for travel has taken
New York Times
bestselling author
Vicki Lewis Thompson
to Europe, Great Britain, the Greek isles, Australia and New Zealand. She’s visited most of North America and has her eye on South America’s rain forests. Africa, India and China beckon. But her first love is her home state of Arizona, with its deserts, mountains, sunsets and—last but not least—cowboys! The wide-open spaces and heroes on horseback influence everything she writes. Connect with her at
vickilewisthompson.com
,
facebook.com/vickilewisthompson
and
twitter.com/vickilthompson
.
Books by Vicki Lewis Thompson
Harlequin Blaze
Thunder Mountain Brotherhood
Sons of Chance
I Cross My Heart
Wild at Heart
The Heart Won’t Lie
Cowboys & Angels
Riding High
Riding Hard
Riding Home
A Last Chance Christmas
To get the inside scoop on Harlequin Blaze and its talented writers, be sure to check out
BlazeAuthors.com
.
All backlist available in ebook format.
Visit the author profile page at
Harlequin.com
for more titles.
For my mom, Randy Shutt, who taught me everything I know about making Christmas special.
Contents
Excerpt from
The Harder You Fall
by Gena Showalter
1
T
Y
S
LATER
WAS
BEAT
,
but the decorated streetlamps in Sheridan’s historic business district perked him up considerably. A large dose of caffeine would help even more. He parked in front of Rangeland Roasters, a family-owned coffee shop that had originated in Cheyenne but had recently expanded to a second location in Sheridan.
They brewed great coffee, and he’d meant to check out the new shop when he’d visited his foster parents back in August. So he’d try it out now, instead. He didn’t want to arrive at Thunder Mountain Ranch for Thanksgiving weekend dragging ass. If he did, Rosie and Herb would fuss over him.
Years ago he wouldn’t have minded a little fussing. But he was twenty-seven for God’s sake, with a grown-up job as a contract lawyer at a well-respected Cheyenne firm.
He’d burned the midnight oil to get his work done before the holiday, and a cup of coffee would keep him from falling asleep during the pre-Thanksgiving Day supper, which was guaranteed to feature tuna casserole. He loved that casserole almost more than he loved the turkey dinner they’d enjoy tomorrow.
He climbed out of his truck into slushy snow that had gathered near the curb. Gray clouds promised more of the same before nightfall, which made the cozy coffee shop even more inviting. Candy canes and delicate snowflake decorations covered the windows, and an evergreen wreath topped with a red bow hung on the door.
Stomping the slush from his boots, he stepped inside where warmth and the fragrance of roasted coffee beans and peppermint greeted him. Manly cowboy types weren’t supposed to like flavored coffee, but he might break ranks and order the one they called Peppermint Pleasure.
He unbuttoned his shearling coat and glanced around. The place had drawn a crowd on this cold November afternoon, so most of the tables were taken. A Christmas tree in the corner decorated with coffee-related ornaments looked similar to the tree he’d seen in the Cheyenne location. The tree topper featured the Rangeland Roasters logo, a double
R
positioned back-to-back on a tan coffee mug.
Branding was always a good thing, and this shop felt very much like the one in Cheyenne. A cheerful buzz of conversation overlaid the carols playing in the background. Fortunately for the owners, the expansion gamble appeared to have paid off.
As he stood in line waiting to order, he recognized one of the baristas who used to work in the Cheyenne location. She’d made an impression on him last summer with her jaunty blond ponytail and ready smile. She was at least five-ten and looked athletic, as if she might be a runner and possibly a skier.
He pictured the nametag she’d worn in Cheyenne. Whitney. An unusual name, but he would have remembered it anyway. When something was important to him, he took a mental snapshot and stored it away.
He’d felt the tug of mutual attraction whenever she’d taken his order but he’d been dating someone during the time she’d worked in Cheyenne. She might have been involved with somebody, too. He hadn’t bothered to find out because there’d been no point.
Then one day she wasn’t there anymore and he hadn’t asked about that, either. Now she’d popped back into his life and he was ridiculously happy to see her. He should ignore that sudden burst of pleasure.
He wasn’t dating anyone these days, but getting involved with a woman who lived in Sheridan made no sense. As many hours as he put in at the firm, being separated by a five-hour drive wasn’t an optimal situation. And that was assuming she was free and he’d been right about her interest.