The Cowboy’s Triple Surprise
March 2017
From the cover:
The Cowboy’s Triple Surprise
A BIG SURPRISE—TIMES THREE!
The last time rodeo cowboy Tyler Buckham was in Cowboy Creek, he spent a steamy night with local beauty Shay O’Neill. Back in town for a quick visit, he’s hoping they’ll have another go-around before he heads for his next rodeo. But seeing Shay pregnant—with triplets!—leaves Tyler feeling as if his best horse has kicked him in the gut.
Shay swore she wouldn’t fall for an unreliable cowboy, and Tyler’s playboy past makes him even less likely to settle down. The whole town conspires to push them together, and Tyler insists he wants to do his duty by Shay and the triplets, but Shay knows she can’t count on promises from a cowboy. Besides, Tyler never once mentioned the word love…
Excerpt:
Fate had taken a hand, pushing Tyler Buckham off the highway at the Cowboy Creek town limits. The gas gauge on the pickup had nose-dived, and he’d had to top up the tank. If he could have made it through to the next town, he might have left the hotel and dude ranch behind him in a cloud of road dust.
Instead, he’d given the truck its head the way he did his stallion. Like Freedom, the truck seemed to know exactly where it wanted to go. By the time he’d pulled into the parking area behind the Hitching Post, he had begun to wonder if fate had had this trip in store for him all along.
“Well,” Jed said, “when an idea spurs you on, that’s usually a good sign you should get moving on it.”
“Yeah. And here I am.” He glanced over at the Stetson he had tossed onto one of the small couches in the office. “But speaking of moving, I guess I’ll hit the road again since Cole’s not around.”
“What’s your hurry? He’ll be back in a couple of days.”
Tyler looked at Jed. The man was past seventy, but those clear blue eyes topped by pure white eyebrows wouldn’t miss much. At Jed’s scrutiny, he broke eye contact, using the excuse of grabbing his Stetson.
“It’s almost time for lunch,” Jed went on. “Why not stay to eat with us? Then you might as well stick around here till Cole gets home. We’ve got plenty of room in the hotel for you, and a stall out in the barn just standing empty waiting for your mount.”
“I don’t—”
“You know Tina and I will be glad for the visit with you,” Jed went on, as if he hadn’t heard Tyler. “And I know you’re not planning on running off without seeing Paz.”
The mention of Tina’s grandmother, the hotel’s cook, brought back some great memories. He smiled. “She sure took good care of me when I was here for Cole and Tina’s wedding.”
Jed smiled broadly. “Feeding people is what she does best. We don’t like seeing anyone going hungry here. And we’re not fond of empty spaces at the table. We’ll be happy to have you sitting in for Cole and staying with us for a while.”
“I don’t—”
“You won’t be the only guest at the table today,” Jed broke in again. “Shay’s joining us for lunch, too.”
“Shay?” Tyler’s pulse revved up a notch.
“Yeah, Shay O’Neill. You met her at the wedding last summer, remember?”
How could he forget? “Yeah, I remember Shay.” Understatement of the century. The mention of her name brought to mind a handful of other good memories.
“So, that’s decided.” Jed rose from his chair. “C’mon out to the front desk and we’ll find you a room. You haven’t got much time to settle in before we eat. Just a word of advice, though. I’d do my best to show up in the dining room as soon as possible, or you might get done out of something special.”
Yeah, something special like sitting next to Shay O’Neill.
The Cowboy’s Triple Surprise
Book 5 in The Hitching Post Hotel series
March 2017
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