Carol Finch - Fit To Be Frisked

Two brand-new stories in every volume…twice a month!

Duets Vol. #105

Talented author Carol Finch returns to Hoot’s Roost, Oklahoma, where there are quite a few single cowboys who don’t give a hoot about marryin’. But that all changes when the Ryder men meet the women of their fantasies. Enjoy Carol’s funny, romantic Double Duets stories about the BACHELORS OF HOOT’S ROOST—where love comes sweeping down the plain!

Duets Vol. #106

Popular Jennifer Drew kicks off the month with a fun story about an adventure writer who hates to travel and desperately needs a stand-in for a book tour. Jennifer always “gives readers a top-notch reading experience with vibrant characters, strong story development and spicy tension,” says Romantic Times. Dianne Drake delivers a quirky tale about a hero determined to write a romance novel. Problem is, he doesn’t have a romantic bone in his body! Luckily the heroine is there to help out!

Be sure to pick up both Duets volumes today!

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Fit to be Frisked Fit to be Frisked

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Mr. Cool Under Fire

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

“Doing what?” Vance asked innocently.

“Staring at me as if you can see…” Her gaze flicked away. “I don’t like it when men look past the uniform.”

“Then try pinning the badge someplace besides on your chest,” Vance teased. “Look, Officer Jackson, I’m trying my darnedest to stay out of your way, but I find you attractive. Now, if you want to arrest me for that, then fine. I’ll plead no contest.”

Miranda stared into his ruggedly handsome face and felt the unwanted jolt of attraction. “Okay, since you’re being honest I’ll return the favor. I like the looks of you, too, even if you don’t take things seriously and you drive the most pathetic excuse for a vehicle that ever cruised the highway.”

“Thank you for the comment, ma’am,” Vance said, his lips twitching. “Even if you think I’m stupid, it’s nice to know you don’t find me hideously ugly while you’re handing me warnings and tickets.”

Miranda broke down and smiled. She just couldn’t help it. The man was a charmer when he wanted to be!

Dear Reader,

Welcome back to Hoot’s Roost, Oklahoma! Although Cousin Wade and Quint Ryder have found the women of their dreams in my first Double Duets, #81, Vance, the practical joker of the family, is still footloose—until he plays a prank on a lady cop. When she fines him for stupidity the fireworks explode.

Miranda Jackson is a by-the-book rookie cop and she doesn’t find the handsome cowboy’s playful attitude the least bit amusing. Furthermore, she has her life all planned out and she has no intention of becoming sidetracked by this unexplainable attraction to a man who is her exact opposite. A practical joker and a cop? It’ll never work. Yet she’s thinking very seriously about arresting Vance for theft—because the fun-loving cowboy has stolen her heart.

Happy reading,

Carol Finch

HARLEQUIN DUETS

36—FIT TO BE TIED

45—A REGULAR JOE

62—MR. PREDICTABLE

72—THE FAMILY FEUD

81—LONESOME RYDER?*

RESTAURANT ROMEO*

SILHOUETTE SPECIAL EDITION

1242—NOT JUST ANOTHER COWBOY

1320—SOUL MATES

HARLEQUIN HISTORICALS

592—CALL OF THE WHITE WOLF

635—BOUNTY HUNTER’S BRIDE

This book is dedicated to my husband, Ed, and our children—Jill, Kurt, Christie, Jeff and Jon—with much love. And to our grandchildren—Livia, Kennedy, Blake and Brooklynn. Hugs and kisses!

VANCE RYDER HEARD SIRENS wailing behind him, but he couldn’t see the flashing lights because his old clunker farm truck was caked solid with mud. All Vance had was a peephole on the windshield to see where he was going. It looked as if he’d have to talk his way out of a traffic ticket before he got this bucket of rust into Hoot’s Roost to replace the bald tires and exhaust system that had more holes in it than a slice of Swiss cheese.

Shouldn’t be too hard to get off with a warning, he mused confidently as he pulled the old truck onto the shoulder of the road. Hoot’s Roost’s police department was accustomed to dealing with farmer/stockmen and their beat-up equipment. For certain, the law officers in the area tended to overlook minor infractions because they’d seen their share of rattletrap trucks, tractors and machinery moving from one field to another.

In fact, Vance predicted that his old school chum, Turk Barnett, was the officer who’d pulled him over just to chitchat. Turk could talk your leg off if you let him and he got lonely while he cruised the streets during his long shifts.

Vance killed the engine and bounded from the truck. He stopped dead still when a sharp, female voice said, “Freeze! Stay where you are!”

Startled, Vance pivoted on his boot heels to see a female officer pull her gun and crouch in shooting position. Was she nuts? Obviously so. He wasn’t a gangster and Hoot’s Roost was not the crime capital of Oklahoma. This was cattle country.

“Put your hands on top of the truck, sir,” the cop commanded authoritatively.

Vance did as he was told then squinted into the bright sunlight to survey the shapely silhouette of the woman in blue who approached him as if she expected him to grab a pistol from out of nowhere and shoot her full of lead. Her weapon was trained on his head, but Vance’s gaze was fixed on her well-endowed chest.

Wow! This lady cop was some kind of built and he had trouble raising his fascinated eyes from her bosom. When he did he found himself staring at a pair of mirrored sunglasses and a pouty mouth that looked all too kissable—but not the least bit friendly. She snatched off her glasses and tucked them in her breast pocket, and he found himself gazing into a pair of cedar-tree-green eyes that were fanned by long curly lashes.

Whoa, mama, this didn’t look like any cop Vance had ever encountered. He began to wonder if there might be an advantage to being arrested by her on a regular basis.

“Don’t ever climb from your vehicle until you’ve been asked to do so,” she lectured as she stared at him over the barrel of her police-issued pistol. “Do you understand, sir?”

Vance nodded stupidly. He studied Officer Gorgeous for a long befuddling moment. Ah, now it was beginning to soak in. This had to be a prank, he decided. Since he’d been dubbed the practical joker of the Ryder family, his ornery cousins had probably decided to have him placed under mock arrest. His birthday was just a week away so he figured Cousin Quint and Cousin Wade probably decided to give him a prank for a gift. After all, Vance always enjoyed a good joke, even if it was played on him.