Shannon Vannatter - Counting On The Cowboy

Ranching is his whole life...

until he meets one special city girl

Texas Cowboy Brock McBride knows better than to fall for a city girl. She’ll leave and break his heart—just like his ex-fiancée did. But his job at Chasing Eden Dude Ranch requires working alongside Dallas wedding planner Devree Malone. And despite fierce resistance, he’s falling hard. Yet with Devree’s business back in the city, can he convince her she’s found her home...with him?

SHANNON TAYLOR VANNATTER is a stay-at-home mom/pastor’s wife/award-winning author. She lives in a rural central Arkansas community with a population of around one hundred, if you count a few cows. Contact her at shannonvannatter.com.

Also By Shannon Taylor Vannatter

Texas Cowboys

Reuniting with the Cowboy

Winning Over the Cowboy

A Texas Holiday Reunion

Counting on the Cowboy

Rodeo Ashes

Rodeo Regrets

Rodeo Queen

Rodeo Song

Rodeo Family

Rodeo Reunion

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Counting on the Cowboy

Shannon Taylor Vannatter

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08247-1

COUNTING ON THE COWBOY

© 2018 Shannon Taylor Vannatter

Published in Great Britain 2018

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

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were out here.”

“I didn’t mean to be.”

“I love sitting on the porch swing at night.”

He scooted to the end, patted the slats beside him. “Feel free.”

She hesitated a moment, but headed his way in the end.

“I don’t know why I like it out here.” She shuddered. “There’re probably snakes lurking. Or bats. Or bears, for that matter. But I love the night sounds. You don’t get that in the city.”

“I imagine not.”

“And the stars are so bright here. So many of them.”

He scanned the horizon, ashamed he often took the stars for granted. “So why do you stay there?”

“It’s where I belong. It’s nice to visit the country but I could never live here. I’d be bored to tears.”

With all his worries over his friends and her reminder that she was a city girl through and through, why did he feel so pulled toward Devree? Despite the warm night, a chill settled in deep. He had absolutely nothing in common with her. He better tread carefully.

Dear Reader,

I once considered myself a city girl. When my parents moved me from a suburb of Atlanta to rural Arkansas, I thought my life was over. Until I met a transplanted Texan who made me realize country life wasn’t so bad. Thirty-eight years later, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

I put a lot of me in Devree. She doesn’t like to get dirty, has no appreciation for most farm animals and isn’t the outdoorsy type. But the quiet, simple life slowly grows on her.

Polar opposites from two different worlds always fascinate me. Enter Brock with his broken heart thanks to a city girl—he’s determined to avoid falling for Devree from the beginning.

But slowly, they see past their initial assumptions about each other and begin to realize they have more in common than they ever would have thought. Until finally their defenses slip away, as God mends their hearts.

This book wraps up my Texas Cowboys series. That always makes me sad as I’ll miss living and breathing their stories. I hope you love each couple as much as I do.

Blessings,

Shannon Taylor Vannatter

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God

for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

— Ephesians 4:32

To my parents.

I hate getting dirty, refuse to grow a vegetable

garden and will never own farm animals, but

I’m thankful y’all made a country girl out of me.

Even though Logan says I’m too city.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

Dedication

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

Epilogue

Extract

About the Publisher

Chapter One

Help! There’s a goat on the roof!

Devree Malone typed the frantic text to her brother-in-law while edging the engaged couple she was showing around the ranch closer to the chapel.

If the goat would just keep quiet up there, maybe the soon-to-be newlyweds wouldn’t notice and she wouldn’t lose this gig. At least it was still April, as the cooler not-quite-seventy degree temperature meant the farm animal odors were at a minimum.

A dark truck turned into the drive and a cowboy climbed out: Stetson, Wranglers, boots. Maybe a ranch hand? His gaze went to the goat, then met hers as a smirk settled on his lips. One so charming she almost forgot about the goat.

Almost. Do something, cute cowboy. Hopefully, her mental plea would span the thirty or so feet between them. She guided the couple inside the chapel and tried to concentrate on the bride’s excited chatter.

“Imagine burgundy roses on the lattice arbor with tulle trailing down the sides.” If only she could have gone ahead and decorated. But the wedding was still two weeks away. “We’ll put big poufy bows on the end of each pew.”

For now, she needed to wow them with what she could. She flipped the switch, setting off a sea of twinkle lights woven among the exposed rafters above.

“Oh.” The enchanted bride leaned her head against her groom’s shoulder.