The Reluctant Rancher

The Reluctant Rancher
Leigh Riker

She can't stay for long…She just needs a place to hide. Now. Pregnant and on the run, Blossom Kennedy jumps at the opportunity to work as a caregiver to an injured, elderly rancher. While she tends to the man, his handsome grandson takes over at the Circle H. Logan Hunter is tough, loyal and a wonderful father to his young son. But Blossom needs a port in a storm more than she needs love, and soon enough she'll be moving on. Unless she's somehow stumbled into the exact place she and her unborn child are supposed to be…by Logan's side.

She can’t stay for long

She just needs a place to hide. Now. Pregnant and on the run, Blossom Kennedy jumps at the opportunity to work as a caregiver to an injured, elderly rancher. While she tends to the man, his handsome grandson takes over at the Circle H. Logan Hunter is tough, loyal and a wonderful father to his young son. But Blossom needs a port in a storm more than she needs love, and soon enough she’ll be moving on. Unless she’s somehow stumbled into the exact place she and her unborn child are supposed to be...by Logan’s side.

“The farther west I travel, the more...open I feel. Less closed in.”

Logan couldn’t help but smile. “That’s how I feel when I’m flying.”

“You’re a pilot?”

“Private jets. Experimental sometimes—but mostly redesigns.” Until he got his promotion. Then his assignments would become way more interesting.

“A test pilot,” Blossom said. “No wonder you don’t seem that happy to be here.”

He looked outside the barn at that big blue sky. “Got me,” he said.

“I think I know how you feel. Flying high must seem like being a bird. I suppose if I reached California, I’d feel positively free.” She didn’t sound that convinced. “Or maybe,” she added with that look again, “I’ll just run out of road.”

He didn’t want to care, but still he had to ask.

“Blossom, what are you running from?”

Dear Reader (#u39d010e6-3a19-590a-a0de-a6d8e4da3ca0),

How much fun can a writer have? I loved fitting all the pieces together for The Reluctant Rancher. As a bonus, I got to write about cowboys—always a favorite!

In his “real life,” Logan Hunter is a test pilot who needs an upcoming promotion with higher pay so he can fight for custody of his young son. But when the grandfather who raised Logan gets hurt on the family ranch, Logan becomes a temporary cowboy again.

He’s not looking for love. And Blossom Kennedy, the caregiver he hires to help out, is clearly on the run. She won’t stay long and neither will he. But, of course, love has its own plans for these two.

I hope you’ll enjoy this ride on the Circle H ranch, where the buffalo still roam. And there’s more good news: The Reluctant Rancher is the first book in my new miniseries, Kansas Cowboys.

Happy reading!

Leigh

The Reluctant Rancher

Leigh Riker

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

LEIGH RIKER, like many dedicated readers, grew up with her nose in a book. This award-winning, USA TODAY bestselling author still can’t imagine a better way to spend her time than to curl up with a good romance novel—unless it is to write one! She’s a member of the Authors Guild, Novelists, Inc. and Romance Writers of America. When not writing, she’s either in the garden, watching movies funny and sad, or traveling (for research purposes, of course). With added “help” from her mischievous Maine coon cat, she’s now at home working on a new novel. She loves to hear from readers. You can find Leigh on her website, leighriker.com (http://www.leighriker.com), on Facebook at leighrikerauthor (https://www.facebook.com/LeighRikerAuthor/) and on Twitter, @lbrwriter (https://twitter.com/lbrwriter).

To

Aidan, Kaitlyn, Jackson and Lily, my youngest loves...

Contents

Cover (#u93ac4b3d-b40d-5c7d-a615-f4ddb1458d13)

Back Cover Text (#u0b5969ab-ab30-5f4b-ba46-4f4c09b51e53)

Introduction (#u8f4a2df5-e6d4-5731-aefb-f3333bdb8454)

Dear Reader (#u5c27965f-66f8-5830-8b15-d30723a8da24)

Title Page (#u53fb48b7-10e6-53c2-9483-20556d112d94)

About the Author (#u95d48d40-151d-5544-b949-ba099faf7ab8)

Dedication (#u37c4eca9-1e7c-51ad-9300-fe98a0cb6c52)

CHAPTER ONE (#u87ed2abf-841b-5ff0-80ce-befa486c713a)

CHAPTER TWO (#u08da956d-f549-5786-a3c0-7641928c30ec)

CHAPTER THREE (#ue14e3fab-5cb3-5f9e-a567-fd872c9209bc)

CHAPTER FOUR (#u2ca23f75-7ab6-522a-af71-485c3feee2e9)

CHAPTER FIVE (#u4c1d8080-41d7-568e-a3b5-9ac775696a6b)

CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)