Vicki Thompson - Cowboy Untamed

Dear Reader Dear Reader Dear Reader Title Page About the Author Dedication Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Epilogue Extract Copyright , Oh, those Magee brothers! In Cowboy After Dark, I fell in love with Liam and figured his younger brother Grady couldn’t possibly be as endearing. Was I ever wrong! Please don’t ask me to pick my favorite Magee brother. I doubt you’ll be able to, either, after you meet Grady, the cowboy turned metal artist. I guarantee he’s hotter than a blowtorch! Like Sapphire Ferguson, I have a weakness for creative men because they’re creative in...well, everything they do, if you get my meaning. Grady’s sculptures of majestic creatures like eagles and wolves are crafted with recycled metal, which makes him both artistic and ecologically aware! Not only that, but he gets hot and sweaty doing it. Sculpting, that is. What did you think I was talking about? Okay, I don’t blame you for going there. The minute you get a glimpse of this tall cowboy with his muscles and slightly shaggy haircut, you’ll be ready to trade places with Sapphire. And when you find out Grady’s plan to make a sculpture for Rosie, his foster mom, your heart is gonna melt. Welcome back to the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood! This amazing band of men each experienced a tragedy that landed them in foster care, but they were all lucky enough to find a home with Rosie and Herb at Thunder Mountain Ranch. Their days at the ranch taught them the cowboy way and forged an enduring bond, although love doesn’t come easily to guys with emotional scars. Join me for another story featuring the awesome cowboys who call themselves the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood! Creatively yours,

Title Page Cowboy Untamed Vicki Lewis Thompson www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author A passion for travel has taken New York Times bestselling author VICKI LEWIS THOMPSON to Europe, Great Britain, the Greek isles, Australia and New Zealand. She’s visited most of North America and has her eye on South America’s rain forests. Africa, India and China beckon. But her first love is her home state of Arizona, with its deserts, mountains, sunsets and—last but not least—cowboys! The wide-open spaces and heroes on horseback influence everything she writes. Connect with her at vickilewisthompson.com , Facebook.com/vickilewisthompson and Twitter.com/vickilthompson .

Dedication To visual artists—dedicated souls who enrich our lives by allowing us to see the world through their eyes.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

1

A WYOMING SUNSET tinged the horizon pale orange, reminding Grady Magee of the Dreamsicles he used to crave as a kid. But thoughts of adult pleasures nudged out childhood nostalgia as he parked his truck in front of the Sheridan Art Barn next to a grape-colored pickup, the only other vehicle in the lot. It likely belonged to Sapphire Ferguson, the woman who’d been on his mind during most of the long drive from Cody.

Three weeks ago during a visit to Thunder Mountain Ranch, he’d come by here with his foster brother Cade to pick up some local art for Cade’s new cabin. Sapphire, a talented potter, had been minding the store. He’d barely recognized her.

The quiet girl he remembered from high school had morphed into a confident woman with a smoldering glance that set him on fire. When she’d asked him to headline a charity event featuring artists creating work on the spot, he’d set aside his packed schedule and agreed without finding out what the charity was. Didn’t matter.

Hauling his tools and materials from Cody and setting up a studio in a corner of this renovated barn was a pain in the ass. He didn’t care. Sapphire had his attention. While honing his welding skills in Alaska and dreaming of making a living with recycled metal art, he’d also dreamed of the kind of woman he’d want to share his life with.

She’d be a self-starter, imaginative, bold and sensual. Good looks wouldn’t hurt but sexual chemistry was more important. Getting both would be a bonus. In short, the woman of his dreams was a lot like Sapphire Ferguson. Maybe his first impression would turn out to be wrong. Or maybe she already had someone in her life.

His gut told him she didn’t. She wasn’t wearing a ring and she’d acted as fascinated with him as he’d been with her. Since then, they’d communicated only through brief phone texts because they’d both battled crazy deadlines. He could be imagining the hum of sexual energy underlying those texts, but he didn’t think so.

He climbed out of his truck with that same energy fizzing in his veins. She’d agreed to meet him and help him get his stuff unloaded, but he hadn’t counted on being alone with her. Eight other artists were part of the co-op Sapphire had organized, each claiming one of the renovated stalls as both a work and display space. He’d expected some of them to be around.

Apparently, they weren’t as manic about working as he was. He put in long hours, both because he loved it and because the commissions kept coming and he didn’t like making customers wait. His brother Liam had reminded him that building a successful career in less than three years was unusual and few artists made a living, let alone a good living.

Grady believed him, although he didn’t have much to go on. He’d used the nest egg he’d saved during his pipeline job to keep him afloat while he followed his dream. His first sculptures had sold like hotcakes and after that he’d been so busy keeping up with the demand that he’d had no time to hang out with other artists.

Spending time with Sapphire was his primary motivation for doing the charity event, but he also looked forward to conversations with other creative types. Not to say he was disappointed that he and Sapphire were alone tonight. Fraternizing with the other co-op members could wait.

He’d started toward the double-door entrance when he heard a woman’s soft voice coming from somewhere to the right of the barn. He couldn’t make out the words, but from the sound of it she really liked the person she was talking to. He paused to listen. Maybe he had this all wrong and the grape-colored pickup had brought two people here—Sapphire and her boyfriend. That would suck.

Standing very still, he listened for a response, a deeper murmur that would indicate she was with a guy. Nothing. He edged closer so he could make out what she was saying.

“Come on, Fred,” she crooned. “You know you want this.”

Dear God. If Sapphire was about to have sex with someone named Fred up against the side of the barn, he did not want to be here. Yeah, he’d arrived a little earlier than planned because he’d broken a few speed limits on the way. She might not be expecting him for another hour.

“You liked it last night, remember? Don’t be shy.”

Grady squeezed his eyes shut. This couldn’t be happening. He’d pinned his hopes on Sapphire being available, yet he’d had no proof of that. If he stayed here much longer, he’d find out exactly how misguided his assumptions were.

Better to quietly climb back into his truck and slowly exit the parking lot. If they were about to get busy, they wouldn’t hear him drive away. He’d grab a cup of coffee in the diner.

“There you go. Isn’t that nice?”

Yikes. He took a slow step backward, then another.

“Such a good boy. Such a brave kitty-cat.”