Maddie Inherits a Cowboy

Maddie Inherits a Cowboy
Jeannie Watt

No heat. No bed. And a cow…hanging from the rafters? What kind of ranch is this? No wonder Madeline's brother only sent pictures of the stunning Nevada landscape. He couldn't very well have convinced his family he was happy in this godforsaken place. But the cold outside is more bearable than the frosty partner she's inherited along with half of the ranch. Ty Hopewell. Not exactly Mr. Social.Never mind. She has every right to be here. She may be a city girl, but Madeline Blaine has a PhD and she's not afraid to use it. Something about this place–and this cowboy–just doesn't feel right. And she's going to figure out what it is. And fix it. Fix him, too…if she can.

For a moment he and Madeline simply stared at each other

She waited for him to say something. What? What the hell could he say? He didn’t even know what to think right now.

The snow was melting into her hair, dampening it, making it start to curl. And then, when he was about to go back to the house—to a nightmare, no doubt—she said softly, “Have you ever heard of forgiveness, Ty?”

He couldn’t bring himself to answer. He turned and walked away, leaving Madeline alone in the snow.

Dear Reader,

New York professor Madeline Blaine is a woman on a mission. The Nevada ranch she inherited two years ago isn’t making money and she’s determined to discover the reason why. Madeline doesn’t know the first thing about ranching, but she fully intends to educate herself—on site. Ty Hopewell, her inherited ranching partner, has no idea how greatly his life is going to change once by-the-book Madeline arrives at the Lone Summit Ranch.

I love taking characters out of their comfort zones, and when Madeline arrives at the ranch, she not only has to learn about the realities of ranching—she has to learn how to manage without electricity for several hours a day, since the ranch generates its own power. This is a circumstance with which I am familiar, having lived off the grid for sixteen years. There are definite pluses to generating your own power, but there are also a few minuses. Generators, like automobiles, break down at the most inopportune moments. I’ve celebrated every major holiday without power because of generator malfunction—no lights, no water and, on one occasion, no turkey. On the plus side, my kids spent more time playing in the creek than watching television while growing up.

I had a great time writing about Madeline and Ty, and I hope you enjoy reading their story. I love to hear from readers, so please drop me a line at jeanniewrites@gmail.com or visit my website, www.jeanniewatt.com.

Happy reading,

Jeannie Watt

Maddie Inherits a Cowboy

Jeannie Watt

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeannie Watt lives off the grid in the heart of Nevada ranching country. She and her husband share their acreage with horses and ponies, a dog, a cat and a wide assortment of wildlife. When she first moved to her off-the-grid locale she knew nothing about generators, but because the ancient propane-powered beast always acted up while her husband was at work, she learned. Before long she could change the oil and swap out points, plug and condenser in less than twenty minutes and was the family generator expert—the one the kids called when the generator sounded “funny.” Now she has a new, more dependable generator, which she has wisely refused to learn about, leaving maintenance and care solely to her husband. So far, so good…but she dreams of solar power.

To my kids,

who grew up with the power going off whenever their parents decided to go to bed.

To Roger,

who would drop everything and come to my mechanical rescue when I got in over my head.

Thank you.

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 TWENTY

CHAPTER ONE

IT CAME UPON A midnight clear…

As soon as Ty Hopewell heard the familiar voice and recognized the opening bars of the song, he made a conscious effort to focus on his breathing, on the people passing in front of where he sat in the lobby of the Nugget Hotel and Casino. On anything except that song. He hadn’t lived in the boonies for so long that he’d forgotten the day after Thanksgiving was the kickoff of the Christmas season. But he’d forgotten that every public place in Reno seemed to play music.

That glorious song of old…

Ty swallowed and then drew in a breath. He could do this. He could sit here and wait for his appointment. Or he thought he could, until he made the mistake of closing his eyes.

From angels bending near the earth…

Instantly he was lying on the frozen ground, disoriented and in pain. The truck was on its side, the cab caved in, the headlights cutting through the darkness at an angle that was just plain wrong.