Temporary Rancher

Temporary Rancher
Ann Evans

Riley Palmer needs a fresh start, and managing Echo Springs Ranch is the break she's been waiting for. There's only one problem. Her new boss, Quintin Avenaco, thinks he hired a man. Riley's confident she can handle the job. But convincing Quintin? With only three weeks to prove her case, it won't be easy.Single mom to four-year-old twin daughters, Riley can't afford to risk everything for a flirtation with Quintin. Even if he does make her heart flutter, she has her kids to think of! If only her heart would listen to her head…

Quintin touched his lips to her fingers.

He laid his mouth gently against the slight rise of an almost-healed blister. It felt so warm, and was ridiculously like some heady perfume. When he kissed it, he heard Riley drag in a deep breath of her own.

“Quintin…”

“I know,” he said in a slow, husky voice. He lifted his head to catch her gaze. Her mouth was parted, and she was frowning. “Insane, isn’t it?”

“I—” The word was a trembling sigh, barely more than a whisper. She wet her lips. When she tugged her hand away, he released it immediately. “I think I should get back to the men.”

He watched her walk away from the shadows and back into the soft light where the cowboys stood. Watched her, and thought how much he had liked what happened. How he had enjoyed it more than he had anything in a long, long time.

But what he’d done had made a difficult situation even more so, and he couldn’t help but realize how foolish he’d been.

Dear Reader,

By the time I finished writing That Last Night in Texas, I had developed quite a fondness for Ethan’s business partner and best friend, Quintin Avenaco. As the story evolved, I grew more and more interested in exploring his tragic past and what had brought him to this point in his life. So when my editor asked if I might like to write about Quintin, I was ready.

Unfortunately, that’s where my muse deserted me. I knew what Quintin’s goals for himself were. But for the life of me, I couldn’t imagine the kind of woman who could bring him out of his painful past and make him willing to face the world again. Weeks went by, and I began to wonder if I’d ever find her.

Then I came across a magazine article about a group of people who had lost their jobs as a result of the economy. They had been brought to the lowest point in their lives, but instead of giving up, they reevaluated the talents they had developed, the strengths they could tap into, the dreams they had left behind as too impractical. Instead of trying to find a new position in their chosen fields, they channeled their efforts into creating new careers for themselves. Some of them succeeded on a grand scale. Others had to adjust to earning a bit less money, but they were far happier than they’d ever been in their old jobs.

I thought a woman with that kind of brave, single-minded purpose might work well as my heroine and make an excellent match for a loner like Quintin. So that’s how Riley Palmer came to life—a divorced mother of twins who is desperately determined to make a good life for her children, even if she has to persuade a lonely, no-nonsense cowboy like Quintin that she will make an excellent ranch manager for him.

I hope you enjoy Quintin and Riley’s journey. Please don’t hesitate to contact me at eannbair@gmail.com or visit my Facebook page. I love to hear from readers.

All the best,

Ann Evans

Temporary Rancher

Ann Evans

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ann Evans has been writing since she was a teenager, but it wasn’t until she joined Romance Writers of America that she actually sent anything to a publisher. Eventually, with the help of a very good critique group, she honed her skills and won a Golden Heart from Romance Writers of America for Best Short Contemporary Romance of 1989. Since then, she’s happy to have found a home writing for the Harlequin Superromance line. A native Floridian, Ann enjoys traveling, hot-fudge sundaes and collecting antique postcards.

Times are tough right now.

This book is dedicated to anyone who has hit

their own rough patch in life and found the

courage to climb to their feet and fight again.

CONTENTS

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

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER ONE

THE COMPUTER SCREEN glowed in the darkened shadows of the living room. Riley Palmer stared at it, wondering why she couldn’t seem to hit the email send button.

“Do it, Riley,” she muttered softly. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Do it for Wendy and Roxanna and yourself. Do it for the National Organization for Women. Just do it!”

Her fingers hovered over the mouse as she tried to find courage.