Angel Smits - A Cowboy At Heart

He’s no hero...

But he’s her only hope

Trey Haymaker left his Texas ranch to escape his problems—not become entangled in someone else’s. Yet when Lisa Duprey asks him to help find her missing grandfather, the cowboy in him feels duty-bound to assist her. As their search intensifies, Lisa and Trey have only each other to rely on. But after the betrayals of his past, can Trey trust her with his secrets...and his heart?

ANGEL SMITSshares a big yellow house, complete with gingerbread and a porch swing, in Colorado with her husband, daughter and Maggie, their border collie mix. Winning the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart® Award was the highlight of her writing career, until her first Harlequin book hit the shelves. Her social-work background inspires her characters, while improv writing allows her to torture them. It’s a rough job, but someone’s got to do it.

Also by Angel Smits

A Chair at the Hawkins Table

A Family for Tyler

The Marine Finds His Family

Cowboy Daddy

The Ballerina’s Stand

Last Change at the Someday Cafe

Addie Gets Her Man

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

A Cowboy at Heart

Angel Smits

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09645-4

A COWBOY AT HEART

© 2019 Angel Smits

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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“Why are you here, Trey?”

Lisa asked the question before she could stop herself.

“Uh, we’re looking for your grandfather, remember?” He was laughing at her again.

“No.” She leaned forward. The room was no longer cold, and she was warmed up from the inside out. “In Telluride. Why did you come to Colorado? You’re not from here.”

“What gave it away? The boots?” He grinned at her, stacking his feet on the old coffee table. His boots were across the room and she glanced over at them, noting the scuffed leather. Well-worn, the dark brown boots had seen better days.

“That—and the accent. Texas, right?”

“Yeah.” He stared down into his drink. Was he wondering how much to tell her? If he should lie? Was this all a lie...?

To all my Super Sisters, for inviting me in, sharing your wisdom and mostly for the wonderful friendship you’ve given me.

And as always, for my forever hero, Ron.

Dear Reader,

When word came that the Harlequin Superromance line was closing, it was a sad day for me. My series A Chair at the Hawkins Table was nearly finished and I was looking forward to hopefully adding to it, as well as bringing new characters and story lines to my readers. The uncertainty was a challenge, but the editors at Harlequin were wonderful and worked to make sure no one missed out.

I was thrilled when the last of the original six books, Addie Gets Her Man , was released as one of the final books under the Harlequin Superromance banner. It was a bittersweet but special last hurrah. Things got even better when the Harlequin Heartwarming line offered me a new home and extended the invitation to continue the series.

Many of you will recognize Trey Haymaker from the series, most specifically from Cowboy Daddy . He has been strong in my head from the beginning, and readers have wondered what happened to him. Well, now you’ll get the chance to learn his story. I’m so grateful to Harlequin Heartwarming for welcoming both Trey and me. And luckily for Trey, we also found Lisa. She’s a perfect fit—and contrast—for him.

I love to hear from readers, and I look forward to introducing the Hawkins clan to a whole new group with Harlequin Heartwarming! Thank you for inviting me and joining me on this new journey.

Angel Smits

AngelSmits.com

angel@angelsmits.com

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dedication

Dear Reader

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 TWENTY-ONE

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

CHAPTER ONE

OLD PEOPLE DIDN’T tend to barhop, at least not in Trey Haymaker’s experience. They tended to find a barstool and plant their backside on it for the duration of their stay. This afternoon, one of the three regulars took up space along the polished wood, which meant the other two couldn’t be far behind.

“What can I getcha, Win?” Trey asked the skinny septuagenarian parked on the corner stool. Winston Ross was one of the few people Trey had known before moving here. The old man owned the cabin up in the mountains outside town that Trey, and his grandfather, had frequented over the years.

Those memories had made Trey reluctant to contact the man when he’d first arrived in Telluride. He hadn’t been sure he wanted to face the past, the pain that always came with the reminder of his grandfather’s betrayal. But fate had had other plans when she’d given Trey a job in the very bar that Win frequented.