Love doesn’t ask permission to arrive – it comes right through the front door.
Blue Malloy doesn’t want anything to do with the Levi Maverick. She had left him behind ten years ago and now he was back. At her front door and insisting she ride with him.
Levi knows she doesn’t want to see him but it’s too important to both their ranches not to find out what happened to their shared creek. No water is a crippling problem for a ranch to have. They needed to find out the truth.
As the two of them investigate what happened, the past emerges and collides with the present. Meant to be together, but drawn apart by life, Blue and Levi are bound to collide.
Will it be enough to mend broken hearts and rediscover love?
*Published in the Wild Ride Anthology*
Hold on tight as some of today’s bestselling western romance authors bring you stories of love, loss, torment, second chances, enemies-to-lovers, forbidden affairs, and happily-ever-afters fill the pages of this steamy small-town cowboy romance anthology.
Do you like your cowboys Wild, Rough and Tough, Rich, Hardworking, or Kindhearted?
Maybe all of the above.
Look no further because these stories are sure to keep you riding the edge of your seat…and falling in love.
Are you ready for a Wild Ride?
Including Stories from:
Donna Michaels NYT and USA Today bestselling author
Beth Williamson NYT and USA Today bestselling author
Stephanie Morris – USA Today bestselling author
Megyn Ward – USA Today bestselling author
Jen Talty – USA Today bestselling author
Sylvia McDaniel – USA Today bestselling author
Rhonda Lee Carver
Gem Sivad
Becca Turner
Anjelica Grace
Mia Miller
Zee Irwin
Dove Daniels
Britney Bell
Vic Leigh
Peggy McKenzie
He snatched her breath away. Every. Damn. Time.
Blue Malloy scowled at the man at her door. Levi Maverick was a big man, well over six feet with slabs of muscle and the face of a Renaissance statue with strong lines and beautiful cheekbones. He yanked off his hat and exposed the wavy soot-colored hair that always looked as though someone ran their hands through it.
His dark, dark eyes regarded her steadily, not a twitch of emotion to give away why the hell he was at her house. Lines bracketed the sides of his mouth and across his forehead. It was three in the afternoon so his jaw was darkened with whiskers.
The rest of him, however, was covered in mud, dried and tacky. He looked like he’d been rolling in it.
“What do you want Levi?” She cursed the minute tremor in her voice.
“Nice to see you too, Beatrice.”
Blue bit back a curse, refusing to rise to the bait even as her pulse thundered through her body. No one, except this big fool, ever used her given name. Everyone called her Blue after her bluebonnet colored eyes. She started to close the door in his face.
One big callused paw slapped against the well-worn wood. “I’m sorry to just drop in but I need to show you something.”
She raised one brow and raked her gaze up and down his incredible, but muddy, body. A shiver threatened to escape and she beat it back. Five years since she’d seen him and she still reacted like a teenage girl instead of a thirty-year-old woman. “I’ve seen it. Not interested.”
He huffed out a breath. “It’s important and I’ve already saddled Butch.”
Blue was annoyed he dared to assume she’d hop on her gelding and follow him all doe-eyed and buzzing with arousal. Those days were past. “I have work to do, Levi.”
“I’ve found something and it concerns the Malloy ranch. And mine.” As her nearest neighbor, the Maverick ranch shared a border and problems when they occurred.
Her dog nudged her thigh with his great head. Levi’s eyes widened at the size of the canine. For once, Blue was delighted by the size of her Irish wolfhound. A gift from a client from the UK three years ago, Paladin was a bed hog and a gentle giant.
“Couldn’t you have found a bigger dog? Looks like you picked a runt.”
She swallowed the chuckle that threatened. No need to be charmed by his sense of humor. “Every rancher needs a good dog.”
The corner of Levi’s mouth kicked up. “Usually not one that can outrun the horses.”
“I don’t want to go anywhere with you.” She couldn’t be more blunt with him. He was her past and she wanted to keep him there.
“Truth be told, I feel the same way but I’m here anyway.” He blew out a breath. “You need to see what I found at the creek.”
The primary source of water for the Maverick’s herd and the horses the Malloys raised, the creek meandered across both their properties. The fact he was muddy told her that he was telling the truth about something.
“What is it?” She didn’t need another reason to not sleep at night. Her stomach couldn’t possibly get tied up any tighter.
“It’s better to show you.” He stepped back and gestured behind him. “Please.”
Damn. Now she had to go. She grabbed her hat from the peg on the wall to her left with a snort. “If this is some sort of game, I’ll geld you myself.”