Tanya Michaels – The Cowboy Upstairs (страница 1)
THE PERFECT CANDIDATE
Single mom and aspiring perfectionist Becca Johnston is determined to be the next mayor of Cupid’s Bow, Texas. She can’t afford distractions like her new tenant, rugged rodeo champ Sawyer McCall. Having a good man around the house means so much to her young son, and Becca is definitely enjoying the handsome cowboy’s attention. But the election is too important to risk scandalous town gossip.
Sawyer only planned on staying in Cupid’s Bow long enough to help with the upcoming centennial celebration, but with Becca and her son, he’s finally found home. When she treats him like he’s a dirty little secret, hiding him from her voters and her son, Sawyer is crushed. How can he convince her that love is the one thing she can’t control?
Becca’s eyes widened. The gorgeous cowboy from the bar? What was he doing here?
His mouth curled in a slow, satisfied smile.
“Marc, you run along and take your shower,” she instructed.
Her son, who was fairly well behaved for a second-grade boy, picked that moment to exhibit his rare rebellious streak. “Hi, I’m Marc.”
The cowboy smiled as he came closer, his long-legged stride graceful and annoyingly mesmerizing to watch. “I’m Sawyer.”
“Mr. Sawyer, do you like pizza?” Marc said.
“As a matter of fact, I do.” Sawyer grinned.
“Then you should—”
“Marc! Scoot.” Becca tried to cut him off.
“—have dinner with us,” her son invited.
Becca bit back a groan; Sawyer’s eyes glittered with knowing humor as he met her gaze. He was amused by her discomfort, which did nothing to raise her opinion of him, but he had the decency to wait until her son was inside to laugh outright.
“Well,” he said as the front door slammed, “at least one of you likes me.”
Welcome back to Cupid’s Bow! Or if this is your first visit to my fictional town, I’m so glad you’re here.
The fun thing about returning to the same community over and over again is that the characters start to feel like family. I care about them and want them to be happy. When single mom Becca Johnston showed up in my first Cupid’s Bow book, Falling for the Sheriff, she was a strong-minded woman who knew how to get stuff done, practically running the town through all of her volunteer efforts and her work on the town council. Becca has really grown on me over time, and I wanted to make sure this take-charge heroine met a hero worthy of her.
Enter rodeo cowboy Sawyer McCall, who needs a place to stay for a couple weeks and rents Becca’s attic apartment. In many ways, he’s Becca’s opposite, guaranteed to drive her crazy. But sometimes the person you didn’t know you wanted in your life is exactly who you need.
I hope you enjoy Becca and Sawyer’s story and that you’ll come back to Cupid’s Bow! I’m already working on the next two books in the series. Follow me on Twitter, @TanyaMichaels, or like me on Facebook (AuthorTanyaMichaels) for updates about the series, anecdotes about my family and the writing life and to chat about favorite books and TV shows.
Hope to talk to you soon!
Tanya
The Cowboy Upstairs
Tanya Michaels
TANYA MICHAELS, a New York Times bestselling author and five-time RITA® Award nominee, has been writing love stories since middle-school algebra class (which probably explains her math grades). Her books, praised for their poignancy and humor, have received awards from readers and reviewers alike. Tanya is an active member of Romance Writers of America and a frequent public speaker. She lives outside Atlanta with her very supportive husband, two highly imaginative kids and a bichon frise who thinks she’s the center of the universe.
For H. I love you.
Contents
“Sorry—I was trying to listen, but I got distracted by the hot cowboy in tight jeans.” Even as Hadley made the apology, her gaze remained fixed across the dining room of the barbecue restaurant. The two women on either side of her craned their heads to look.
Across the table from the oglers, Becca Johnston sighed in exasperation. “Ladies, this is Cupid’s Bow. Good-looking cowboys in Wranglers are a common occurrence. What’s uncommon is a female mayor. So, could we focus?” If Becca won the election—no, when she won—she would be only the third woman in the town’s hundred-year history to be mayor.
Sierra Bailey, seated next to Becca, smiled in encouragement, not at all distracted by the prospect of a hot cowboy—probably because she went home to her own cowboy every night. Locals had been placing bets on when her devoted rancher would officially pop the question. “You’re going to make a wonderful mayor.”
“Thank you.” Becca truly appreciated the other woman’s support and all the hours she’d spent volunteering on the campaign, in addition to her full-time job as a physical therapist. “You’re forgiven for your poster idea.” Sierra had suggested the slogan Vote for Our Favorite Control Freak!
“If it helps,” Sierra said, “I meant it as a compliment. As Jarrett will tell you, I tend toward the bossy side myself.”
In Becca’s opinion, there was nothing freakish about wanting a life that was calm and controlled. Growing up in a house with six kids, she’d craved order. Now she planned to give that gift to her friends and neighbors.
Hadley refocused on the conversation, a glint in her dark eyes; the town librarian wasn’t as blatantly outspoken as Sierra or Becca, but God help you if you defaced a book or interrupted patrons trying to read and study in peace. “In men, they call it leadership skills, but women get called ‘bossy.’ I say good for you—both of you—for not being afraid to take charge.”
It isn’t like anyone ever gave me a choice. Unwanted responsibility had been thrust on Becca as a kid. And again two years ago when her real estate agent husband fled town after a shady investment, leaving her a suddenly single mom struggling to pay the bills. Some money from a late uncle had helped her survive while she brainstormed new revenue streams, but survival wasn’t enough. She wanted to triumph.
While Hadley had, thankfully, regained her concentration, Irene and Anita were still staring after the unseen cowboy.
“Who do you think he is?” Anita asked with a sigh. “Besides my future husband.”
“Wait—none of you recognize him?” Becca swiveled in her chair, craning her head for a better look. She needed to know as many constituents as possible; if he was new to town, she should introduce herself. Then again, if a “hot cowboy” had just moved to Cupid’s Bow, wouldn’t she have heard the gossip by now? The local grapevine prided itself on speed and thoroughness.
She blinked at her first glimpse of the man. Wow. Hadley hadn’t exaggerated his appeal. Unlike her friends, Becca wasn’t usually drawn to rugged men. Her ideal type was more polished and urbane, like her ex-husband.
The man in the weathered straw cowboy hat stood facing local rancher Brody Davenport as they waited for a table; she could see only the stranger’s profile, but it was impressive. Beneath the brim of his hat, a few curls of rich brown hair fell toward his eyes. His striking cheekbones were flawless and not even the unshaven stubble of an auburn-tinged beard lessened the effect of his strong jaw. And then there were his wide shoulders, corded forearms and, as promised, the breathtaking way he filled out his je—