Genre: Contemporary Western Romance

“Just friends” isn’t working.
Sparks are flying.
Until dark clouds from the past threaten disaster.

A friends-to-lovers story from award-winning author Anne Carrole

Recent air force veteran and reluctant cowboy, Rusty “to the rescue” Russell, has set his sights on the attractive independent-minded event planner who says she’s too busy to get involved. That mindset is what makes Kristy Winslow a perfect candidate for a casual relationship. Because with past traumas still haunting him, he doesn’t dare commit to anything more. But keeping her at arm’s length is more difficult than he bargained for.

Kristy Winslow has no desire to date again, since her last relationship went terribly wrong. Besides she needs to focus on her new career opportunity because failure is not an option. But the charming cowboy’s persistence and promises of a no-strings fling has Kristy throwing caution to the wind. If only she can keep her mind on the job and her heart from getting broken by this complicated but intriguing redhead.

Love is in the air, but will demons from the past pull them apart or make them stronger together?

Excerpt

Kristy opened the door to the waiting area and walked out, expecting to meet the blond-haired, blue-eyed woman whose profile picture was on the Flowers by June website. Instead, a red-haired cowboy had folded his considerable height onto the two-cushion waiting room sofa. He was holding a white cowboy hat between his jean-clad legs, and a large notebook lay beside him on the seat.

What was a good-looking hunk of a cowboy doing in her waiting room? “May I help you?” Maybe he’d mistaken the An Affair to Remember sign on the door for something else entirely and had wandered in by mistake.

The cowboy’s grin stretched to his ears, giving him a cocky, almost mischievous look. One that most women would find charming. She was not most women.

“I’ve an appointment with Ms. Winslow.” He tipped his hat brim to his forehead.

“Well, you aren’t June, I take it.”

His blue eyes twinkled, and she felt a tingle somewhere in the vicinity of her belly. Odd that. She shifted her weight, hoping the feeling would go away.

“I’m her brother, and I’m here to represent her. She had a family emergency, and I offered to step in.”

“I hope everything is okay.”

He nodded, his smile still full and strong, as if he was amused at being in her office. “It will be. She asked me to meet with you and show you the portfolio, and she’ll call you tomorrow about pricing and all that stuff. She really is an excellent florist. Very creative, with a great sense of color.”

Now it was her turn to smile. She appreciated family loyalty, family support. The kind she’d always gotten from her mother, if not from her father. “Sounds like a plan. Come on in . . .” He hadn’t introduced himself.

“Rusty. Rusty Russell.”

She couldn’t help but look him over as he unfolded to his full height. That tingly sensation was back. He must be over six feet. His face was etched with high cheekbones, a Grecian nose, and a firm, wide jaw. He had a muscular build, as revealed by the blue T-shirt that stretched over his rather prominent arm muscles and the jeans that hugged a pair of strapping thighs. Way too handsome to be in her waiting room.

“For the hair color?”

“Yes, ma’am. Family thinks it suits, so I’m stuck with it.”

She motioned for him to enter her office and wondered why her heart was pounding. True that at five feet eight it wasn’t the norm for her to feel dwarfed by a man, but it certainly wasn’t fear that caused that reaction. Quite the contrary. He intrigued her. Most men of her acquaintance wouldn’t be caught dead lugging around a portfolio of flower arrangements. But he didn’t act as if there was anything strange about it and seemed happy to be helping his sister.

He squeezed into the bamboo-backed chair by her desk, and the seat seemed to shrink to child size. She’d rented the first chairs she’d seen at the furniture rental store. She made a mental note to get more substantial seating. She wanted clients to feel comfortable.

Usually she sat behind the desk in an effort to project a more businesslike and in-charge image, but for reasons she wasn’t about to examine, she opted to sit across from him in the other chair.

He swung toward her, their knees within inches of touching. Something else she should remedy by repositioning.

“Now show me what you’ve got.”

He winked, and heat rose to her cheeks. Goodness, she hoped she wasn’t blushing, but from his widening grin, that was a lost hope.

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About the Author

Anne Carrole is an award-winning author of contemporary and historical western romances. Raised on a farm with horses, dogs, cats, chickens, rabbits, and whatever other animals she could convince her parents to shelter, she’s married to her own sweet-talking hero and is the proud mother of a twenty-something cowgirl. Besides the Wyoming Romance novels, you can also enjoy her popular Hearts of Wyoming series where love gets a second chance. Visit her website at https://www.annecarrole.com

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