Vicki Thompson – Cowboy Untamed (страница 1)
A cowboy...and so much more
Potter Sapphire Ferguson had one rule: no more artists. There have been too many disappointments and too many heartbreaks. That is, until she sees wildlife metal artist Grady Magee welding a sculpture of wolves, and Sapphire’s self-control is completely incinerated. Whoa, Nellie. A cowboy with an artist’s soul...and a hard, sexy body. How can she resist?
Sapphire tells herself it’s just sex—incredibly and unbelievably intense sex—between two consenting adults. No love and no getting hurt. Except that Grady isn’t just an artist. He was raised at Thunder Mountain Ranch, and he’s all cowboy. He’s playing for keeps...and he’ll have to prove to Sapphire that he can have an artist’s soul and a cowboy’s heart.
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
“All the characters, background stories and character development are positively stellar; the warm family feeling is not saccharine-sweet, but heartfelt and genuine, and Lexi and Cade’s rekindled romance is believable from beginning to end, along with the classy, sexy and tender love scenes.”
—Fresh Fiction on Midnight Thunder
“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
“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
Oh, those Magee brothers! In Cowboy After Dark, I fell in love with Liam and figured his younger brother Grady couldn’t possibly be as endearing. Was I ever wrong! Please don’t ask me to pick my favorite Magee brother. I doubt you’ll be able to, either, after you meet Grady, the cowboy turned metal artist. I guarantee he’s hotter than a blowtorch!
Like Sapphire Ferguson, I have a weakness for creative men because they’re creative in...well, everything they do, if you get my meaning. Grady’s sculptures of majestic creatures like eagles and wolves are crafted with recycled metal, which makes him both artistic and ecologically aware! Not only that, but he gets hot and sweaty doing it. Sculpting, that is. What did you think I was talking about?
Okay, I don’t blame you for going there. The minute you get a glimpse of this tall cowboy with his muscles and slightly shaggy haircut, you’ll be ready to trade places with Sapphire. And when you find out Grady’s plan to make a sculpture for Rosie, his foster mom, your heart is gonna melt.
Welcome back to the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood! This amazing band of men each experienced a tragedy that landed them in foster care, but they were all lucky enough to find a home with Rosie and Herb at Thunder Mountain Ranch. Their days at the ranch taught them the cowboy way and forged an enduring bond, although love doesn’t come easily to guys with emotional scars. Join me for another story featuring the awesome cowboys who call themselves the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood!
Creatively yours,
Cowboy Untamed
Vicki Lewis Thompson
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.
To visual artists—dedicated souls who enrich our lives by allowing us to see the world through their eyes.
Contents
Praise for Vicki Lewis Thompson
A WYOMING SUNSET tinged the horizon pale orange, reminding Grady Magee of the Dreamsicles he used to crave as a kid. But thoughts of adult pleasures nudged out childhood nostalgia as he parked his truck in front of the Sheridan Art Barn next to a grape-colored pickup, the only other vehicle in the lot. It likely belonged to Sapphire Ferguson, the woman who’d been on his mind during most of the long drive from Cody.
Three weeks ago during a visit to Thunder Mountain Ranch, he’d come by here with his foster brother Cade to pick up some local art for Cade’s new cabin. Sapphire, a talented potter, had been minding the store. He’d barely recognized her.
The quiet girl he remembered from high school had morphed into a confident woman with a smoldering glance that set him on fire. When she’d asked him to headline a charity event featuring artists creating work on the spot, he’d set aside his packed schedule and agreed without finding out what the charity was. Didn’t matter.
Hauling his tools and materials from Cody and setting up a studio in a corner of this renovated barn was a pain in the ass. He didn’t care. Sapphire had his attention. While honing his welding skills in Alaska and dreaming of making a living with recycled metal art, he’d also dreamed of the kind of woman he’d want to share his life with.
She’d be a self-starter, imaginative, bold and sensual. Good looks wouldn’t hurt but sexual chemistry was more important. Getting both would be a bonus. In short, the woman of his dreams was a lot like Sapphire Ferguson. Maybe his first impression would turn out to be wrong. Or maybe she already had someone in her life.
His gut told him she didn’t. She wasn’t wearing a ring and she’d acted as fascinated with him as he’d been with her. Since then, they’d communicated only through brief phone texts because they’d both battled crazy deadlines. He could be imagining the hum of sexual energy underlying those texts, but he didn’t think so.
He climbed out of his truck with that same energy fizzing in his veins. She’d agreed to meet him and help him get his stuff unloaded, but he hadn’t counted on being alone with her. Eight other artists were part of the co-op Sapphire had organized, each claiming one of the renovated stalls as both a work and display space. He’d expected some of them to be around.
Apparently, they weren’t as manic about working as he was. He put in long hours, both because he loved it and because the commissions kept coming and he didn’t like making customers wait. His brother Liam had reminded him that building a successful career in less than three years was unusual and few artists made a living, let alone a good living.
Grady believed him, although he didn’t have much to go on. He’d used the nest egg he’d saved during his pipeline job to keep him afloat while he followed his dream. His first sculptures had sold like hotcakes and after that he’d been so busy keeping up with the demand that he’d had no time to hang out with other artists.
Spending time with Sapphire was his primary motivation for doing the charity event, but he also looked forward to conversations with other creative types. Not to say he was disappointed that he and Sapphire were alone tonight. Fraternizing with the other co-op members could wait.