Cowboy Six Pack Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  To Steal a Cowboy's Heart by Kari Lynn Dell

  Other Titles by Kari Lynn Dell

  Blurb

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Sneak Peek at Reckless in Texas

  About the Author-Kari Lynn Dell

  Cowboy Courtship by Allison Merritt

  Other Books by Allison Merritt

  Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Excerpt from Wildwood Spring

  About the Author-Allison Merritt

  Changing a Cowboy's Tune by Stephanie Berget

  Other Titles by Stephanie Berget

  Blurb

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  Sneak Peek at Romance Beneath a Rodeo Moon

  About the Author-Stephanie Berget

  Catch the Rain by Paty Jager

  Other Books by Paty Jager

  Blurb

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Epilogue

  Sneak Peek at Bridled Heart

  About the Author-Paty Jager

  Broken Vows by Melissa Keir

  Blurb

  Other Books by Melissa Keir

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  Sneak Peek at the Cowboys of Whisper, Colorado

  Excerpt from The Heartsong Cowboy

  About the Author-Melissa Keir

  Cowboy Wrecked by D'Ann Lindun

  Other Titles by D'Ann Lindun

  Blurb

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Sneak Peek at the Cowboys of Black Mountain

  About the Author-D'Ann Lindun

  Leave a Review!

  Every woman loves a six-pack!

  Cowboy Six Pack

  Kari Lynn Dell

  Allison Merritt

  Stephanie Berget

  Paty Jager

  Melissa Keir

  D’Ann Lindun

  This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the prior consent of the publisher in any form other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, character, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction, distribution, or transmitted in whole or part in any form or means, or stored in any electronic, mechanical, database or retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

  Cowboy Six Pack

  Copyright 2017 Kari Lynn Dell, Allison Merritt, Stephanie Berget, Paty Jager, Melissa Keir, and D’Ann Lindun

  Cover Design: Kim Killion

  To Steal a Cowboy’s Heart

  Kari Lynn Dell

  Other Titles by Kari Lynn Dell

  The Texas Rodeo Series

  Reckless in Texas

  Tangled in Texas

  Tougher in Texas (August 1, 2017)

  The Long Ride Home (single title)

  In From the Cold (short story collection)

  Find links to all of my books at KariLynnDell.com

  To Steal a Cowboy’s Heart

  Copyright © 2017 Kari Lynn Dell

  All rights reserved.

  TO STEAL A COWBOY’S HEART

  Shannon McKenzie is one of the best investigators the Montana Department of Livestock can sic on cattle and horse thieves, and her definition of undercover has always been strictly professional. Hotshot rodeo announcer Tyler Jernigan was a dangerous exception…one she nearly paid for with her life.

  Over a year later Tyler is still recovering from the devastation of being caught in Shannon's net—both as a lover and a suspect. Her sting operation left his brother in prison, Jernigan Livestock Auction closed for good, and Tyler convinced that the Shannon who’d thrown him for a loop and then disappeared never actually existed.

  Now Shannon and Tyler have come face to face once more, this time on the rodeo circuit. She knows he’ll never forgive her for destroying his family, but she’ll have to get close enough to persuade him not to blow her cover.

  Does he dare trust the master pretender and risk letting her steal his heart…again?

  DEDICATION

  For the men and women of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the agencies in every state who work to protect our livestock in so many ways. Your dedication is appreciated, if not always rewarded.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Sometimes Shannon McKenzie's job took her to the most scenic parts of Montana. And sometimes, it took her to Glendive.

  Which had its charms—or so the Chamber of Commerce claimed—but in the dog days of August they were hard to pick out right off. She drove in from the west, through mile after mile of rolling hills baked to a dull tan, muted even further by a fine layer of the gray dust that billowed from under her car tires as she pulled into the rodeo grounds.

  Normally she would have arrived long before any of the cowboys standing in line to pay their entry fees, but she'd had anot
her commitment and asked Judy West if she could show up a little late. Shannon hadn't offered an explanation beyond "I have an appointment." Experience and a hard master had taught her the less information she volunteered, the less likely she was to get tripped up by her own lie somewhere down the line. A handy tip when lying was your stock in trade.

  Several of the cowboys greeted her with nods and smiles as she locked her car. Three weeks into her job as office assistant and rodeo timer, she'd memorized most of their names and faces, but none of these sparked any particular interest. At least not from a professional standpoint. Len Mattson's smile was a few degrees warmer than good manners dictated, and she felt a little hum of feminine appreciation. He was worth a warm thought, with his tall, broad-shouldered roper's build and blue-eyed good looks, and it had been a very long time since she'd been tempted to return a smile like that in kind.

  All the more reason not to. She kept her expression vague and avoided eye contact. Anything more would encourage a complication she didn't need. Far too much risk for very brief pleasure. Reflexively, her palm pressed to her ribcage just below her heart.

  Another harsh lesson learned.

  The temperature was in the nineties and showed no sign of easing despite the lowering sun. Shannon scraped chin length blonde hair off her damp forehead as she squeezed past the line of cowboys and into the office. The interior was dim after the blinding sunlight and she blinked a few times before she could see the occupants. A middle-aged woman bent over the long table, chatting easily with the contestants as she pulled entry forms from a file box and collected signatures and money.

  Judy West glanced up and smiled when she saw Shannon. "Oh, good! You're here. Would you do this while I post the draw sheets? The ropers are getting restless, waiting to see what they've got."

  Shannon frowned as she stowed her purse and took Judy's spot. In the timed events, cattle were drawn by number for each cowboy by the judges to keep the competition as fair as possible. Normally Judy would have the resulting lists posted long before now. "Sorry I couldn't be here sooner."

  "Not your fault. I've been running behind all morning. Our rodeo announcer had a family emergency and called to cancel late last night. Luckily, I was able to find a replacement. He'll be here any minute, so as soon as I get done with this I'll have to duck out and help set up his sound system."

  Shannon's internal radar beeped, as it was prone to do at any sign of unusual activity. "Anything else I can do?"

  "We'll see. You never know what might come up on the first day of a rodeo."

  Boots scraped on the steps and the room darkened as a lean body blocked the doorway. Shannon's heart smacked into her ribs, then slid to the vicinity of her navel at the sight of the newcomer's all-too-familiar face. She had a few precious moments to regroup as his eyes adjusted to the shadows; time to school her features into a bland mask before his gaze focused on her. She watched his eyes widen. Then narrow in fury.

  "Boy, am I glad to see you!" Judy flashed a broad smile and waved Shannon forward. "Tyler Jernigan—"

  "You." He spat out the word like a gnat he'd accidentally inhaled, then spun on his heel and walked out.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Tyler blew out a weary sigh as he searched his pockets for the plastic card to open the electronic lock on his hotel room. Lord, what a day. Just short of twenty-four hours ago he had crawled gratefully into his very own bed in Kalispell after spending the entire month of July on the road. One rodeo after another, traveling from Wyoming to Colorado to New Mexico and finally home, only to be jolted out of blissful sleep by a ringing telephone.

  Despite having driven fifteen hours straight, he couldn't say no to Judy when she was in a bind. The Wests had been friends of his family for years, the first contractors willing to turn over the microphone to a cocky teenager convinced he was going to be the next great voice of pro rodeo. He hadn't expected it to be easy, but at seventeen, he couldn't have begun to guess what a thrill Fate would get out of derailing his plans.

  Even something as simple as a week off to recharge his batteries.

  He'd dumped his dirty laundry in the washing machine, caught another precious few hours of sleep, then explained to his mother—because, yes, he still lived at home when he was around—that he wouldn't be attending the family reunion after all. He was four cups of coffee down the road before lunch, wishing the Big Sky state wasn't quite so damn big that it took ten hours to drive across two thirds of its width.

  By the time Glendive came into sight, he'd actually been looking forward to the three day rodeo—less pressure than the big pro shows he'd been working, and a chance to catch up with cowboys he knew from back in high school or college, who had jobs or ranches that kept them close to home, rather than on the pro tour. A reunion with family of a different kind.

  Then he'd strolled into the office and seen her.

  He dropped his hard-sided suitcase outside his room with a thump, and resisted the urge to kick it. Bad enough, running smack dab into Shannon—assuming that was her real name—but the way she'd looked at him, like she had a vaguely pleasant memory of meeting him somewhere and wondered if he'd remember her.

  As if he could forget the wreckage she'd left behind the last time she'd waltzed through his life.

  Or those eyes. That voice.

  Thank God the hustle to get his PA system set up and sound checks done in time for the performance had kept Judy's curiosity at bay. And she'd stood between him and Shannon in the crow’s nest through the evening performance, all of them focused on the action in the arena. He provided color commentary for the audience while the two women manned stopwatches, clipboards and the eight second buzzer. No eye contact and minimal conversation required.

  He'd bolted the minute the rodeo ended, making some excuse about important phone calls. Instead, he'd burrowed into a dark corner of a grungy bar and diluted his shock with a double shot of Pendleton whiskey on the rocks. An act of pure self- preservation, hiding out until he could get his shit together. Not one word to Judy or Bud West about the sweet-faced viper in their midst.

  Tomorrow. Maybe. After he'd had time to get a feel for the situation. He had no idea how long she'd been with them, what lies she'd told. Judy had a tendency to get attached to people and Shannon—with her sunny, innocent smile and calm competence—was made to order. Knowing Judy, she'd probably already tried to set Shannon up with her son Danny, visions of a perfect daughter-in-law dancing in her head. A woman who could inspire him to settle down and give Judy those grandchildren she craved.

  Tyler scowled, then cursed when he recognized the sour taste of jealousy on his tongue. Danny could have her. He and Shannon were a matched set. The question was, what did Tyler do now? He couldn't decide until he knew who her target was this time.

  Not him. He hadn't even known he'd be in Glendive, so he could rest easy on that account. And God, did he need some rest. Give him eight solid hours of sleep and he might have a clue how to handle Shannon.

  Definitely not the way he'd handled her last time.

  He finally located the key card in his shirt pocket, slid it into the slot, and cursed when his shoulder bag blocked him from grabbing the handle before the lock re-engaged. On the second attempt he was slightly quicker. Holding the door ajar with his foot, he gathered his suitcase in one hand, garment bag in the other and felt for the light switch with his elbow.

  The bedside lamp clicked on. He dropped his suitcase square on his foot, which at least gave him an excuse to yelp like a scared puppy. He dumped his luggage in a pile and glared at the intruder. "How did you get in here?"

  "I have ways." Shannon folded her arms and crossed one slender leg over the other. "Come on in. You look beat."

  "Gee, thanks." He was tempted to call the front desk and report an intruder, but it would just turn out badly for whichever unsuspecting hotel employee she'd conned to get a copy of his key card. Meanwhile, Shannon would waltz away, unscathed as always. As far as she was concerned, the law onl
y applied to other people.

  He flung his suitcase into the closet and slammed the garment bag onto the rail above. Then he turned to study his uninvited guest. Her hair was several inches shorter than he remembered. Her legs even longer in slim-fitting jeans. Still the All-American girl, with those whiskey gold eyes and the homecoming queen face. All she needed was a tiara and a float slapped together from chicken wire and spray-painted paper napkins.