Jeannie Watt - Winning the Cowboy's Heart

“Are you trying to keep me from buying a horse?”

Will tilted his black hat back, enabling her to see his eyes without the shadow of the brim. And they were nice eyes – not deep brown, like Kylie’s, but blue-grey.

“That would be rather presumptuous of me.”

Regan let out a snort. “Yes. I agree.”

“Been talking to Kylie?”

“Yes.”

Will’s gaze shifted to the door of the room behind her. He paused before he brought his attention back to Regan.

“I am not trying to keep you from buying a horse. I am trying to keep you from making a mistake.”

Incredible . “And who are you to decide whether or not I’m making a mistake?”

Dear Reader,

What makes a person a good parent? Love, patience, dedication, willingness to sacrifice…the list goes on. Being a good parent means making a commitment and sticking to it, even when the going gets rough.

Will Bishop is a good parent, raising his headstrong daughter without benefit of a wife or immediate family. He’s doing the best he can, but he’s facing mystifying teenage-girl issues and, in spite of his efforts, his daughter seems to be following a little too closely in his own hellion footsteps for comfort. What’s a father to do? Persevere. Hang on. Hope for the best. Especially when his life is further complicated by a deep attraction to his daughter’s teacher, and having to contend with the secret he’s been keeping for so many years.

I wrote this story with the idea of exploring the difficulties of being a single parent – in particular, a single parent falling in love and wondering how to work a relationship into his already complicated life. I hope you enjoy Winning the Cowboy’s Heart .

I would love to hear from you. Please contact me at jeanniewrites@gmail.com.

Happy reading,

Jeannie Watt

JEANNIE WATT

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To the Rays and Mr Stein,

the best principals ever,

To my headstrong children,

To my parents,

who raised their own headstrong children,

To my mother, a true horsewoman,

I dedicate this book.

Thanks so much for everything.

CHAPTER ONE

THE CALL Will Bishop had been dreading came at 2:45 in the afternoon, just when he was beginning to think he was home free. As soon as he hung up the phone, he grabbed his hat and headed for the truck. True to form, his daughter Kylie had started junior high with a bang.

Will knew the way to the office by heart—he’d visited the place a time or two during his own scholastic career at Wesley Junior and Senior High. He pulled off his hat and stepped inside.

“Hi, Will.” The secretary was the same woman who’d kept him company years ago, only a little grayer now and sitting in front of a computer instead of a typewriter. “Long time, no see.”

“Mrs. Serrano.”

“You can go in.”

Will wondered how many more times he was going to hear those words over the next few years.

He pushed the door open. Four faces turned his way. Kylie, of course, looking defiant as only Kylie could; Mr. Bernardi, the principal; Pete Domingo, the PE teacher; and a lady he didn’t know.

“Have a seat, Will.”

At least Bernardi had refrained from making any comments about old times. The last thing Will needed was for Kylie to think she was carrying on a family tradition, even if she was.

“This is Miss Flynn,” Bernardi said, indicating the dark-haired woman who was now regarding Will with an inquiring expression. “Miss Flynn is Kylie’s science and social studies teacher.”

Miss Flynn acknowledged the introduction with a nod and a smile that stopped short of her striking green eyes. She seemed cool and professional, exactly the kind of teacher that Kylie—and Will, back in the day—always butted heads with. In fact, Kylie was glaring at her now from under her lashes. Will sensed a long school year ahead.

“Will, Kylie has engaged in some questionable behavior that needs to be addressed immediately.” Bernardi sounded as if he was reading from a cue card.

“I see.” Will was an old hand at translating teacher speak. He’d heard enough of it over the years. “What did Kylie do that was questionable?”

Mr. Bernardi was about to respond when he was interrupted by Pete Domingo. “Let’s let Kylie tell her father what she did.”

“Good idea,” Bernardi agreed. “Kylie?”

Kylie sent Pete a smoldering look. “I got caught.”

No kidding . “Caught doing what?”

“Caught smoking after PE,” Pete Domingo said, forgetting his intention of letting Kylie fess up.

“Smoking!”

Kylie nodded slowly. If Will hadn’t been so utterly ticked off, he would have noticed his daughter trying to send him a message.

He glanced at Bernardi. “I’ll be taking care of this at home. What happens here?”

“We know there are others involved, but Kylie won’t name names.”

“I was the only one,” she said.

“We know that’s not true.” Bernardi sounded tired.

Kylie stubbornly shook her head, her straight dark hair shifting over her shoulders. She was no longer meeting anyone’s gaze. Instead, she stared down at the floor tiles.

Principal Bernardi let out a sigh. “We’ve already discussed this with Kylie. If she won’t tell us who else was there, then she’ll have to bear the brunt of the punishment alone.”

Will gave Kylie a long look. Her jaw was locked and she looked so much like his ex-wife at that moment that it almost frightened him. But even if she resembled Desiree, she mostly took after him.

“I understand why Pete is here, but…” Will glanced over at Miss Flynn. She hadn’t said a word and she didn’t appear as though she particularly wanted to be there. Unlike Domingo. The little general was enjoying this.

“They were outside my room,” she said. “There was a group of at least three, but Kylie was the only one I recognized.”

Will gave Kylie one last chance, even though he knew it was futile. “Kylie?”

She shook her head. Will stood. “Unless she needs to stay now, I think we’ll go home and discuss this.”

“This means an automatic three-day suspension, Will. School-district policy.”

“I understand,” Will replied. “Come on, Kylie. We’re going home.” Kylie got up from the wooden chair and headed for the door.

“If I get any names, I’ll let you know,” he told Bernardi, and followed his daughter out of the room. He was almost at the main entrance when he heard quick footsteps behind him. What now?

“Go to the truck,” he told Kylie, who went out the door without a word. Will turned to face Miss Flynn, fast approaching with purposeful strides, the expression on her face that of someone about to give helpful hints on how to handle his child. Well, he’d had enough input from educators for one day.

“Don’t worry,” he said, “I’m not going to beat her.”

“That’s happy news,” she replied mildly, and Will felt somewhat ashamed of himself. “I actually wanted to talk to you about another matter.”

“Like…?”

“I’m looking for a horse. A pleasure horse, and I heard you have some for sale.”

This was not what Will had expected. Not even close. He gave a slow nod of acknowledgment. “I did have some horses for sale, but they went fast. I only have one left at this point, and I’m afraid he won’t do for you.”

Miss Flynn’s eyebrows edged upward. “Why? I’m an experienced rider.”