WESTERN ROUND-UP GIVEAWAY HOP

Cowboys are a bred unto themselves. Whether they are from days gone by or contemporary, we love reading about them.  I'm pleased to be part of a blog hop promoting our beloved cowboys. There will be giveaways and stories about this favorite part of the romance genre.

Link to Giveaway Page: http://mkmcclintock.blogspot.com/p/western-roundup-giveaway-hop.html

List of Participating Blogs: http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=143120

I've always loved cowboys, evidenced by my two books. Storm's Interlude is available in paperback and eBook versions, while Those Violet Eyes is available only as an eBook.

Excerpt:

“You might as well come out and join me.” His deep voice caressed her senses and beckoned. How did he know she was watching him? She wiped her hands over her shorts in a nervous gesture. Did he know how long she’d been standing there, staring, dreaming…yearning?

Embarrassed, Rachel stepped out onto the porch and stood next to the man who had moved into her mind—lock, stock and saddle. “Good morning.”

He saluted her with his mug. “Mornin’.”

His eyes were so intent on her that, for an instant, her mind went blank. Her attraction to this man had to be channeled into friendship—merely friendship. “Thank you for burning me that CD. I can’t wait to play it.”

“You’re welcome.” A faint blush crept up his neck.

She took pleasure in his discomfort. If she felt uneasy around him, she was glad he was obviously suffering from the same feeling. “How long have you been up?”

“An hour, give or take. Did you have your yogurt?” He drained his coffee and set the mug on the porch railing.

“Yes.”

“Good. I don’t want any low-sugar episodes like yesterday morning.” He jerked his head toward the horizon. “This is the best place to watch the sun come up. Our best views of sunsets are on the patio, but here, right here is the spot you get a great view of the sunrise. Nothin’ like a hill country sunrise.”

The curve of the golden sun peeped above the mountains in the distance. Shimmers of apricots and reds undulated like dancing rays celebrating the birth of a new day. Birds began singing as if to welcome the sun. “Oh, you’re right. It’s beautiful. I guess you do this every morning? Drink your coffee and watch the sun come up.” She looked up at him.

He never spared her a glance. “Yup.”

His freshly-shaved face was relaxed. The smell of his soap and aftershave filled her nostrils. She wanted to bury her nose in his neck and inhale his masculine scent for hours.

She smiled again. “You always so talkative in the morning?”

“Yup.” He turned slightly and smiled at her.

Excerpt: 

 He stuck his boot in the stirrup and swung his leg over Blaze, settling onto the saddle. The creaking leather was a soothing sound. Win readjusted his black cowboy hat on his head. “Come on, Blaze, let’s go meet the sun.”

While the roan loped across the range, Win took delight in surveying his property. This little spread was his first land purchase. He’d worked on many ranches in his younger, pre-Marine days and started tucking away his earnings for this moment. He breathed in the morning air. A hawk cried as it rose to meet the sunrise. Pink streaks the color of Evie’s cowgirl boots stretched across the sky. The reddish-orange ball of the sun shimmered as it peeked across the horizon, turning the pink streaks to violet, the color of Evie’s eyes.

Man, I’ve got it bad.

He focused his thoughts on his plans for this ranch: a place for children with amputee limbs to learn self-sufficiency and the value of hard work. Weeks on his back in hospitals gave him time to think. Once this idea of a healing ranch for kids snagged his troubled mind, he clung to it as if it were a beam of light at the end of his tunnel of pain.

When night terrors woke him, he channeled his demons into thoughts of helping kids cope and excel. Hadn’t his momma taught him the best way to get over personal pain was to help someone else? Night after fitful night he planned and plotted to help others.

Months of renovations lay ahead, to say nothing of the mountains of paperwork for all the government agencies. He had so many regulations to adhere to, so many intricate rules designed to protect the children. While he had no problem with that, he didn’t look forward to the arduous approval process.

Blaze’s ears perked. Win slowed her to listen for whatever she heard. There, off to the left in that tangle of brush and briars. He kneed his mount on the left and she turned in that direction. “Good girl, Blaze.” He leaned down to pat her neck, all the while peering into the brush ahead. A dog caught in a trap was chewing at his hind leg. Damn the previous owner of the ranch to set out traps.

Win tugged his cell from a pocket of his jeans and called Long Arrow. “Got a dog caught in a trap out here. Call the vet and see if he can come out to Solace. Poor animal’s trying to chew through his leg to get loose.”

 

WHAT I'M GIVING AWAY!!!

I'm giving away 3 prizes. One paperback copy of STORM'S INTERLUDE and one eBook copy. Also one eBook copy of THOSE VIOLET EYES. But, you have to comment, follow my blog and leave your contact email address to be eligible for my drawing.

Don't forget to visit ALL the blogs included in this hop. There are lots of prizes and fun along the way. Good luck!