Colleen Collins - Let It Bree - Let It Bree / Can't Buy Me Louie

Dear Reader,

Duets was first launched in May 1999 and has proved to be a fan favorite. Each month we set out to bring you four sparkling romantic comedies in two separate volumes. You met many new authors in the lineup and revisited longtime Harlequin stars. Your letters and e-mails told us how much you enjoyed Duets!

Here at Harlequin we are always striving to reinvent ourselves, and so is the case with Duets. This is our last month of publication. Beginning in October 2003, look for Flipside, our brand-new romantic comedy series. In response to reader interest, we will be publishing two single books a month that are even longer than Duets novels. Look for #1 Staying Single by USA TODAY bestselling author Millie Criswell. Joining her in the launch month is Stephanie Doyle with #2 One True Love?

I think you will love these stories and all the fun books in Flipside in the months to come. Don’t forget to check us out online at eHarlequin.com for news about all your favorite authors and books.

Yours sincerely,

Ms Birgit Davis-Todd

Executive Editor

Harlequin Books

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Let It Bree Let It Bree

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Epilogue

Can’t Buy Me Louie

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Kirk huffed as he stepped into Bree’s motel room. He speared his hand through his hair.…

And froze in that position as his gaze swerved to Bree. “Oh, sorry,” he murmured thickly, staring at her standing there in her underwear.

“I’m covered.”

“Barely,” he muttered.

“I’m wearing more than a bathing suit!”

Kirk wanted to say something, but he had the gut sense that if he opened his mouth right now, the only thing that would emerge would be a garbled string of incoherent sounds.

Look away. Be a gentleman. But his eyes were rarin’ to roam free.

And roam they did. All over her long, lean, strong body.

“Are you all right?” asked Bree.

“No,” he croaked.

“If you’d feel better,” she said softly, “I’ll slip back into bed, get under the covers.”

Better? He doubted her in bed would make him feel any better.…

Dear Reader,

True story: A few years ago, a bull escaped from our regional stock show and found its way to a local highway where (until it was captured) it merrily galloped along with traffic. Being a romance writer, I read the story in the paper and found myself wondering, “What if a heroine was riding that bull?”

And so was born Let It Bree, where the heroine, Bree Brown, does indeed ride a Brahman bull out of a stock show to save it, and herself, from some thugs…one of whom becomes the hero in the sequel, Can’t Buy Me Louie.

So kick back and enjoy a rollicking road story where a girl and her bull are rescued by a handsome scientist, the two of them (well, three) on the lam, on the road and falling in love! To read about my upcoming books, as well as enter contests for prizes, please visit my Web site at http://www.colleencollins.net.

Happy reading!

Colleen Collins

HARLEQUIN DUETS

10—MARRIED AFTER BREAKFAST

22—ROUGH AND RUGGED

30—IN BED WITH THE PIRATE

39—SHE’S GOT MAIL!

HARLEQUIN TEMPTATION

867—JOYRIDE

899—TONGUE-TIED

913—LIGHTNING STRIKES

939—TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT

To Ruthann Manley, wonderful friend and talented Webmaster

Carl Rugg of Bovine Elite, who kindly helped this city girl better understand Brahman bulls, and Dr. Kirk Johnson (curator of paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science), who graciously answered my questions about his research on the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K/T) boundary and for whom the hero is named.

BREE CUPPED Val’s face between her hands. His mug was so huge, so hairy, it was like gripping a fur-covered volleyball.

“Val—” She stopped and frowned. She lifted her gaze to meet his, but her head remained dipped. Being six feet tall, she was accustomed to lowering—or as she preferred to call it, dipping—her head. Usually it just reinforced that she was different—bigger, taller, more athletic—than other females.

But today, ready to say something that meant life or death—which to Bree meant Europe or Wyoming—dipping was okay.

She stroked his chin, grappling for words. She’d never been a great talker. Action was more her style. “It’s your moment,” Bree finally said. Darn, she’d found the words and now her voice was quavering. She eased in a calming breath. “Our moment,” she continued. “When you walk into the ring, be proud, majestic.” She lowered her voice. “We both know you’re just an oversize puppy, but keep that part buried, deep, because right now, you’re tough. Awesome to the max. You’re gonna blow them out of the stands—” She caught herself from adding, “and get me out of Chugwater.” But even without saying the words, she imagined Val understood what was in her heart. He was her one-way ticket to freedom.

Emotion clogged Bree’s throat. She swallowed hard, stuffing down the reality that escaping Chugwater also meant losing Val. She shifted her gaze to his expansive chest so he wouldn’t see tears were threatening to spill. She refused to cry. That was for girls who played their emotions—and their charms— to manipulate people. Men, in particular.

Not Bree. She prided herself on cutting to the chase. Raising her head, she patted Val’s massive shoulder reassuringly. “Come on, Hot Stuff, let’s make you a star.”

She led the way, her shoulders thrust back, her chin high. She wanted to look like a winner already—after all, the stock show was getting radio and TV coverage throughout the Midwest.

The tang of animal sweat and hay saturated the air. As they headed into the arena, the crowd’s buzz intensified, reminding her of the time her crazy cousin Rupert stuck a twig in a hornets’ nest, triggering a buzzing fury. Before those ornery critters had a chance to attack, nine-year-old Bree was pumping her long legs, running for her life. It hit her how, today, she was running again for her life. A new life. One where she could finally escape stuffy, small-town Chugwater, Wyoming, and discover the world.

Behind her, Val pounded the dirt floor in giant, Olympian strides. Oh yeah, awesome to the max. After all, Valentine Bovine was a major contender for the big prize—the Grand Champion Brahman bull.

Squinting against the glare of the overhead lights, Bree searched the stands. Under one of those Stetsons was Carlton Rugg from Bovine Best, the internationally renowned cattle breeding organization. They had a stellar reputation, and were known for their humane treatment of bulls, so she’d given them her verbal permission—an implied contract, not a written one—to bid aggressively for Val should he win the championship.