Roz Fox - Marrying The Rancher

Home on the Ranch: Arizona—where love burns brightly under the desert sun!

The Arizona ranch was supposed to be their home—a place where Tandy Graham could start a new life with her young son. Instead, Tandy finds a community of hostile ranchers who expect her to fail. The only person they hate more? Her handsome new tenant, biologist Wyatt Hunt.

Tracking wildlife means Wyatt can never settle down. Still, he can’t stop himself from becoming more involved with life on the ranch, and with Tandy. As his feelings for her grow stronger, Wyatt knows he’s playing a dangerous game—one that ends with him choosing between the career he adores and the woman he loves.

His heated gaze never veered from her eyes...

“This isn’t smart,” Tandy murmured.

Wyatt continued to smile softly and pulled her onto his lap, where he kissed her again. A kiss that went deeper and lasted longer.

It lasted so long her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt. Once they broke apart, Tandy loosened a hand and ran a tentative finger over his lips. “This could easily lead to more. But we have to be realistic.”

“How so?”

“I have obligations. Namely a son and a ranch.”

“Neither of which I’d do anything to hurt.”

She sighed. “You’re a good man. I know you’d never mean to hurt me or Scotty. But we both know your job is going to take you away. I can’t do a one-night stand. Or even one week or one month.”

Closing his eyes, Wyatt set his forehead against hers.

“I can promise you tonight.”

Marrying the Rancher

Roz Denny Fox

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ROZ DENNY FOX’s first book was published by Mills & Boon in 1990. She writes for several Mills & Boon lines and her books are published worldwide in a number of languages. Roz’s warm home-and-family-focused love stories have been nominated for various industry awards, including the Romance Writers of America’s RITA® Award, the Holt Medallion, the Golden Quill and others. Roz has been a member of the Romance Writers of America since 1987 and is currently a member of Tucson’s Saguaro Romance Writers, where she has received the Barbara Award for outstanding chapter service. In 2013 Roz received her fifty-book pin from Mills & Boon. Readers can contact her on Facebook, at rdfox@cox.net, or visit her website at www.korynna.com/rozfox.

This book is dedicated to the many people who work at and volunteer with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. It sits amid cacti and boulders on ninety-eight natural acres. If you have the opportunity to come to Tucson I hope you’ll schedule a visit to the museum.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text Home on the Ranch: Arizona—where love burns brightly under the desert sun! The Arizona ranch was supposed to be their home—a place where Tandy Graham could start a new life with her young son. Instead, Tandy finds a community of hostile ranchers who expect her to fail. The only person they hate more? Her handsome new tenant, biologist Wyatt Hunt. Tracking wildlife means Wyatt can never settle down. Still, he can’t stop himself from becoming more involved with life on the ranch, and with Tandy. As his feelings for her grow stronger, Wyatt knows he’s playing a dangerous game—one that ends with him choosing between the career he adores and the woman he loves.

Introduction His heated gaze never veered from her eyes... “This isn’t smart,” Tandy murmured. Wyatt continued to smile softly and pulled her onto his lap, where he kissed her again. A kiss that went deeper and lasted longer. It lasted so long her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt. Once they broke apart, Tandy loosened a hand and ran a tentative finger over his lips. “This could easily lead to more. But we have to be realistic.” “How so?” “I have obligations. Namely a son and a ranch.” “Neither of which I’d do anything to hurt.” She sighed. “You’re a good man. I know you’d never mean to hurt me or Scotty. But we both know your job is going to take you away. I can’t do a one-night stand. Or even one week or one month.” Closing his eyes, Wyatt set his forehead against hers. “I can promise you tonight.”

Title Page Marrying the Rancher Roz Denny Fox www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author ROZ DENNY FOX’s first book was published by Mills & Boon in 1990. She writes for several Mills & Boon lines and her books are published worldwide in a number of languages. Roz’s warm home-and-family-focused love stories have been nominated for various industry awards, including the Romance Writers of America’s RITA® Award, the Holt Medallion, the Golden Quill and others. Roz has been a member of the Romance Writers of America since 1987 and is currently a member of Tucson’s Saguaro Romance Writers, where she has received the Barbara Award for outstanding chapter service. In 2013 Roz received her fifty-book pin from Mills & Boon. Readers can contact her on Facebook, at rdfox@cox.net, or visit her website at www.korynna.com/rozfox .

Dedication This book is dedicated to the many people who work at and volunteer with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. It sits amid cacti and boulders on ninety-eight natural acres. If you have the opportunity to come to Tucson I hope you’ll schedule a visit to the museum.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

“Ms. Graham, you’re the reason the Aravaipa Cattle and Sheep Ranchers Association called this emergency meeting.” Preston Hicks sauntered down the grange hall aisle and loomed over where Tandy sat with an arm around her son, Scotty. He’d fallen asleep but came sharply awake at the man’s loud verbal attack.

Tandy and Scotty had arrived late and slipped into empty seats in the back row. Stymied as to why she was being singled out, she glanced surreptitiously around, but saw only stern ranchers she probably once knew but hadn’t seen in a dozen years.

“What’s your problem? I’ve only operated Spiritridge Ranch a couple of months. I haven’t fully rebuilt a herd.” Recognizing her sleepy son probably shouldn’t be here, she gathered him closer. He wouldn’t have come except that as a newly single mom, she’d had no one to leave him with. And the message left on her answering machine had indicated this meeting was important.

Hicks, her closest neighbor and the president of the association, glared down at her from his lofty height and hooked his thumbs over a belt circling his portly belly. “I offered to buy your father’s ranch. Since it’s doubtful you know a thing about raising cattle, all of us expect sooner or later you’ll fail. It would’ve been smarter if you’d stayed in the army and let me have the ranch.”

Garnering murmurs of agreement in the room, the man hitched his pants higher.

“I beg your pardon! I grew up here,” Tandy asserted.

“Yeah, well, I don’t recall you helped your pa work cattle.”

“Because I was busy with schoolwork and sports.”

He wagged a beefy finger in her face. “The past is over. What everyone here agrees with is that you can’t rent a casita to that damned wolf man. We know Curt, rest his soul, had the poor judgment to let Game and Fish come into our Eastern Arizona sector to do their dirty work after old-timers had rid the area of predators. No one wanted to hound Curt, him being so sick and all. You’re a different story. You’re a Johnny-come-lately who has no business messing in here at all.”