Have Cowboy, Need Cupid

Have Cowboy, Need Cupid
Rita Herron

Suzanne Hartwell was all work and no play–until she caught the latest Hartwell bridal bouquet and received a hope chest from Grammy Rose! Suzanne had to convince the most stubborn cowboy in town to sell his ranch, but the magical hope chest suddenly made Suzanne want to mix business and pleasure….The Lazy M Ranch was Rafe McAllister's heart and soul. He wouldn't sell it to anyone without a fight. But one look into Suzanne's eyes and Rafe had a hard time resisting her sophisticated charms. Could Suzanne turn out to be the cowgirl of Rafe's dreams? The hope chest never lies….

“Is this about the hope chest?” Suzanne asked

“Yes,” Grammy said. “I want you to take yours home with you today.”

“But there’s really no need. I’m not even dating anyone.”

“Your love life will change soon,” Grammy said with a wink. “Take a look through it.”

Even though her cousins and sister claimed their hope chests had some kind of magical power that had given them hints as to their future husbands, Suzanne didn’t believe it. She worked with facts and figures, not superstitions.

Suzanne opened the wooden chest and pushed aside layers of gold tissue paper, unearthing a white lacy Stetson, a pair of white Western lace-up boots and a lace ribbon choker.

Suzanne laughed outright. Grammy must have made a mistake when she’d put these things inside. Perhaps she’d meant them for someone else. Suzanne was a city girl. High heels and plunging necklines were more her style.

In fact, she’d use the choker to strangle herself before she’d marry someone who wanted a cowgirl bride. Wouldn’t she?

Dear Reader,

This month Harlequin American Romance delivers favorite authors and irresistible stories of heart, home and happiness that are sure to leave you smiling.

COWBOYS BY THE DOZEN, Tina Leonard’s new family-connected miniseries, premieres this month with Frisco Joe’s Fiancée, in which a single mother and her daughter give a hard-riding, heartbreaking cowboy second thoughts about bachelorhood.

Next, in Prognosis: A Baby? Maybe, the latest book in Jacqueline Diamond’s THE BABIES OF DOCTORS CIRCLE miniseries, a playboy doctor’s paternal instincts and suspicions are aroused when he sees a baby girl with the woman who had shared a night of passion with him. Was this child his? THE HARTWELL HOPE CHESTS, Rita Herron’s delightful series, resumes with Have Cowboy, Need Cupid, in which a city girl suddenly starts dreaming about a cowboy groom after opening an heirloom hope chest. And rounding out the month is Montana Daddy, a reunion romance and secret baby story by Charlotte Maclay.

Enjoy this month’s offerings as Harlequin American Romance continues to celebrate its yearlong twentieth anniversary.

Melissa Jeglinski

Associate Senior Editor

Harlequin American Romance

Have Cowboy, Need Cupid

Rita Herron

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

To my mother for teaching me to love country music and my sister for making me appreciate a cowboy.

Also, to Paige & Scott for inspiring the cowboy wedding with their own real one.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Award-winning author Rita Herron wrote her first book when she was twelve, but didn’t think real people grew up to be writers. Now she writes so she doesn’t have to get a real job. A former kindergarten teacher and workshop leader, she traded her storytelling for kids for romance, and writes romantic comedies and romantic suspense. She lives in Georgia with her own romantic hero and three kids. She loves to hear from readers so please write her at P.O. Box 921225, Norcross, GA 30092-1225 or visit her Web site at www.ritaherron.com.

Dear Suzanne,

You are a very special granddaughter because you go after what you want in life. When someone tells you no, you fight that much harder. And if you see someone in need, you are always there to encourage them to achieve their dreams.

You were the youngest of the family, the last symbol of your mother and father’s love. You were the baby, but unfortunately you weren’t babied for very long. When your mother died, you had to grow up fast. Your father thought his heart had been ripped out, but it ticked strongly inside you. You became his strength when he thought he had none left. You added a much-needed spark of joy to the quiet household, and you showed us all that even through grief and sadness, we must still strive for life.

But you never let yourself cry. You built an invisible wall, a tough veneer that sometimes keeps others from entering the closed doors to your heart. Sometimes, my dear, we have to tear down walls and clean out the cluttered attic to move forward. Sometimes we have to cry before we can free our souls to find that one perfect soul mate.

I wish for you happiness, true love and a man who can give you all the joy that a partner can.

Love you always,

Grammy Rose

P.S. Inside the hope chest you will find something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen