Roxann Delaney - Designs on the Cowboy

A Cowboy Fixer-Upper

Loner Dylan Walker has spent the past fifteen years pushing other people away. His family’s century-old ranch house, once a showpiece of Desperation, Oklahoma, has fallen into disrepair since his parents passed. Still, Dylan thinks his sister went too far in hiring a renovation expert to invade his home and his life.

Peppy former prom queen Glory Andrews has her work cut out building a reputation as the town’s premier interior designer. The Walker job is the first big step toward reinventing herself after an ugly divorce. She can’t fail—and she won’t. Even if Dylan seems dead set against change.

But Glory is doing much more than redecorating a home—she’s determined to show Dylan that he can let go of the past and they can have a future together. If only the stubborn cowboy will let her!

Dylan shouted from the hall. “What the devil are you doing in there?”

The last thing Glory wanted was for him to see the room before it was completely finished.

“Just having a new light fixture hung,” she said, joining him. “Is there something you needed?”

“Yeah, you.”

Glory’s breath caught and she stared at him. She felt warm deep inside.

“There’s some delivery guy downstairs” he said, frowning. “I need his truck out of my way, now.”

It took Glory a few beats to catch up. She felt like a fool. “Of course,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t wobble. “I’ll get the guys to unload it now.”

“Good.” Dylan turned and bounded down the stairs, leaving Glory wishing she could stop the lustful thoughts she was having about him. Dylan wasn’t interested in her. Except for a few rare moments, he’d been nothing but cold and unreachable. But as she called to the boys to come help, it took more concentration than it should have to slow the pounding of her heart.

Dear Reader,

My great-aunt and her husband lived in a house that had been built in the 1890s. He was born there in 1900 and lived there all his life, until the two of them moved into town to live in the nursing home. They’re gone now, but the house still stands at the curve in the county road, a reminder to me of summer visits and holidays spent with cousins and relatives of all ages.

There was something about that grand Victorian farmhouse, handed down from one generation to the next, that fascinated me. With tall ceilings and transom windows over the doorways, a beautiful wood staircase enclosed in a room of its own and the two triangular porches where family often sat and enjoyed the summer evenings, it enthralled me each time we visited.

When it came time to write about Dylan Walker’s home, a large old farmhouse that had been passed down from one generation to the next, my aunt and uncle’s house couldn’t have been more perfect. Join Dylan and Glory as they learn just how even the saddest of memories can become the best.

Best wishes and happy reading!

Roxann

Designs on the Cowboy

Roxann Delaney

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Roxann Delaney doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t reading or writing, and she always loved that touch of romance in both. A native Kansan, she’s lived on a farm, in a small town and has returned to live in the city where she was born. Her four daughters and grandchildren keep her busy when she isn’t writing or designing websites. The 1999 Maggie Award winner is excited to be a part of the Harlequin American Romance line and loves to hear from readers. Contact her at roxann@roxanndelaney.com or visit her website, www.roxanndelaney.com.

In memory of Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Milt Harrington.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Epilogue

Excerpt

Chapter One

“So this is how you honor the memory of our parents.”

Dylan Walker didn’t bother to look up from the melting ice cube floating in the glass of amber liquid he held. Nobody but his sister talked to him that way. Because she was eleven months older than him, she thought she had the right. He usually disagreed, but at that moment, he didn’t care.

“Nice of you to drop by, Erin.”

The sound of her boot heels on the old linoleum kitchen floor grew closer. “I had a feeling it had come to this,” she said.

He detected a note of sadness in her voice, but ignored it. “It’s no big deal to have a drink, now and then.”

“It is when now and then becomes every day.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I do know. You and I have been running from the same devil for all these years. It’s time to stop.”

Slamming the glass down on the table in front of him, he got to his feet. Although he was a little unsteady, he wasn’t going to let it stop him from saying what he needed to say. “I got through it this year, Erin. I stayed here and rode it out.”

In the pale glow from the yard light outside the window, he saw her nod. “I know. Luke told me. But look at yourself now. Just what kind of victory was it?”

The truth was almost more than he could take. He wanted to sit down, but he knew that if he did, she’d win. “One step at a time,” he said, without trying to hide the belligerence in his voice.

She shook her head. “You’ve taken one step forward and two steps back.”

“I’m better!” His voice seemed to bounce off the walls of the old house, taunting him, but he wouldn’t give in.

“Saying it doesn’t make it so.”

Squeezing his eyes shut, he prayed his temper wouldn’t get the best of him. When he felt more in control, he opened them to find his sister standing next to him. He towered over her more than a foot, but he knew from the stubborn glint in her eyes that she wasn’t going to put up with any of his excuses.

Her gaze bored a hole in him as she tipped her head back to look up at him. “You’ve got to let it go, Dylan. You were a kid. You can’t keep blaming yourself for the accident.”

He’d never forget the day his parents died. “They were on their way to town because of me.”

A strange look flashed over her face, and he thought he saw a slight shake of her head. “It doesn’t matter. That was then. This is now.”

“But it does—”

“Here’s what you’re going to do,” she continued, leaving no room for argument. “You’re going to clean yourself up and fix up this house.”

He managed a shrug. “A shower and some paint will do that.”

She didn’t even blink an eye. “Since I can’t count on you to do even that, I’ve hired someone who’ll be here in a few days to do what needs to be done.”

He wouldn’t let her get away with this. “And what if I refuse?”

The silence in the room was almost unbearable as she stared at him. “If you think I’m joking about this, Dylan, go ahead and try me. But here’s what’s going to happen if you don’t agree. I’ll put the house up for sale, and you can go do whatever it is you want to do with your life, even if it’s nothing. You just won’t be doing it here.”

He couldn’t believe it. “You’re kidding.”

“If that’s what you think, you’re more out of touch than I thought. You can either stay here during the renovations that will make this house become something we can all be proud of again, or you can start looking for another place to live. I’m not going to let the memory of our parents become nothing but a run-down old house.”

“You wouldn’t throw me out.”

Her eyes were hard and unforgiving, and her mouth was set in an angry, thin line. “I wouldn’t try testing that if I were you.”