Amanda Renee - Blame It on the Rodeo

A Secret The Size Of Texas

Veterinarian Lexi Lawson has her hands full—and not just when she’s delivering foals at the Langtry family’s ranch. Working there forces Lexi to confront Shane Langtry, the man who broke her heart. True, he seems different now—more generous, more grounded. But Lexi isn’t fooled: Shane lives for rodeo competition and nothing else. Besides, after what he did to her, there’s no way she’d take him back.

Long ago, when they were in love, Lexi hid a terrible secret from Shane—one she planned to keep forever. But when he learns the truth, she’s forced to choose between the past she left behind…and the future they might still find together.

“Listen, Shane.”

Lexi jabbed at his chest. “Regardless of how or what I feel, you cannot kiss me while I’m at work, even if you do own the place! Who knows who saw that kiss? I have a reputation to maintain, so I suggest you get your butt on that plane and focus on your next ride.”

“After you admit you still love me.” Shane leisurely leaned against the stall door.

Lexi closed the distance between them and carefully kept her tone low so no one would overhear. “You arrogant, egotistical— How can you think for one minute— We just started—”

“Yep, I knew it.” Shane slapped his thigh with his hat. “Some things never change, mi ángel de fuego.”

Taking her off guard, Lexi was surprised to hear Shane refer to her as his “angel of fire.” The last time she’d heard the nickname was before they broke up. Struggling to compose herself she stared at him, afraid to speak.

“Whenever you get riled up like this and can’t finish a thought, I know I’m right, and it kills you,” he said.

If he only knew how much it all really was killing her….

Dear Reader,

Blame It on the Rodeo brings me back to when I interned on a horse ranch in New Jersey many years ago. My job of assisting the breed manager was far from easy, but the rewards outweighed the mud, muck and, well, all those other horse hind-end things. When I wrote this book, I was sad to discover the place that taught me so much no longer exists. While the people and foals I grew to love have moved on to greener pastures, the memories of those days come to life again in this book and the entire Ramblewood series.

I would like to thank Ashleigh Orrock of Seaside Animal Care in Calabash, North Carolina, for inspiring my opening scene. A passing conversation during an emergency vet visit led to the first chapter of this book and began the bumpy trail ride of Lexi and Shane’s reconnection.

Blame It on the Rodeo is the third book in the Ramblewood, Texas series, where the Langtry men always manage to rile up the women they love more than a yellow jacket in an outhouse.

Feel free to stop in and visit me at www.amandarenee.com. I’d love to hear from you. Happy reading!

Amanda Renee

Blame It on

the Rodeo

Amanda Renee

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born and raised in the northeast, Amanda Renee currently resides on the Intracoastal Waterway in sunny South Carolina. Her dreams came true when she was discovered through Harlequin’s So You Think You Can Write contest.

When not creating stories about love, laughter and things that go bump in the night, she enjoys the company of her schnoodle named Duffy, traveling, photography, playing guitar and anything involving horses. You can visit her at www.amandarenee.com.

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For Susan Gibbs Woods

Friends Forever, Girlie–’Til we meet again in heaven

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

Excerpt

Chapter One

“Let’s see if we can catch us a foal.”

Sliding her arm into the sterile shoulder-length glove, Lexi Lawson slipped the neck strap over her head and faced Little Miss Confetti.

“Easy, girl.” Billy Stevens led the white-and-black American Paint mare into the narrow wooden-and-metal crush and closed the front gate. The secured enclosure protected Lexi from the horse and the horse from itself during the procedure. Standing to the side, Billy whispered soothing words while gently rubbing Confetti’s muzzle.

“Welcome to your first embryo transfer lesson—so come on back here for a ringside seat.” Amused by Billy’s stunned expression, she continued, “Equine care starts at conception, and there’s more to horses than leg wraps and Coggins reports.” Lexi was pleased at how proficient her protégé had become at aiding her with the standard Equine Infectious Anemia tests and the subsequent paperwork.

A year and a half ago Lexi wouldn’t have considered Billy Stevens for an assistant. After escaping his abusive family, Billy ended up on the wrong side of the law when he and a few so-called friends stole some high-priced guitars from Ackerman’s Music in town. A month in county lockup left him scared straight and completely alone once he was released. Never ones to turn away a person in need, the Langtry family offered him a place to live on the Bridle Dance Ranch in exchange for honest, hard work.

Cole, the oldest of the four Langtry brothers, took a shine to Billy when he noticed his interest in horses ran deeper than a paycheck. Without confidence in himself, Billy didn’t believe he had a future in the veterinary field until Cole pointed him in Lexi’s direction and offered to help finance some college courses this past semester. A natural, Billy instinctively sensed when a horse was even the slightest bit off.

“We’ll be successful today,” Ashleigh assured them.

Billy bashfully squeezed past Ashleigh and the crush. Lexi suspected he had a case of puppy love for her vet tech, but he’d soon come to realize no matter how endearing he might be, Ashleigh wasn’t about to leave her husband for someone seven years her junior.

“Cole,” Lexi said over her shoulder. “Have one of the grooms on standby to bring in Moonglow.”

Before Cole answered, Shane Langtry cleared his throat in the doorway of the breeding area and casually leaned against the jamb.

“I’m headed out to pick up our first official rodeo student.” Shane straightened and strode over to the mare and stroked her cheek. Responding to his gentle touch, she snorted against his hand and bobbed her head.

Dressed in faded jeans and a formfitting, ab-enhancing fitted gray T-shirt, Shane shouldn’t make her breath catch, but damned if he didn’t, even after thirteen years. Lexi may have put his cheating ways in the past, but no one said working near the man responsible for the toughest decision of her life would be easy. Of course, she had the option to start over somewhere else, and she’d done just that for a spell.

After a year at Colorado State, Lexi transferred to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where she completed veterinary school and her equine internship. She’d been set to stay in the upstate area, but Joe Langtry’s call six months later with a job offer and the opportunity to branch out on her own was impossible to resist. The Langtry patriarch was a true Southern charmer who had a way with words, and the money sure didn’t hurt, either.