Aidan: Loyal Cowboy. Cathy McDavid
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Home Is Where The Hart Is…
Aidan “Ace” Hart left Flynn McKinley heartbroken when he put family duty above her feelings. Then one night, the old passions were reignited and now Flynn is about to get something she’s always wanted—a child to love.
Ace takes his responsibilities very seriously. Running Thunder Ranch and his busy veterinary practice leaves little time for a personal life. That’ll only get worse now that he’s spending every spare minute with Midnight, the champion rodeo stallion he hopes will save the ranch from financial disaster.
Flynn refuses to marry Ace and be yet one more “responsibility” to him. She wants Ace to want to marry her! And until he admits he loves her, she’s determined to raise her baby alone….
Flynn bumped elbows with Ace. “Quit being such a guy and admit it.”
He laughed. “Okay, you got me. I like helping people. And animals. Even fluffy little kittens.”
She lifted her gaze to him and said softly, “I bet you do like kittens.”
“Babies, too.”
Her heart flip-flopped.
This wasn’t good. If Flynn expected to guard herself from the temptations Ace Hart presented, she couldn’t go all mushy inside just because he said baby in that silky voice of his.
She was strong, she could resist.
And she might have succeeded if he didn’t reach up and brush a lock of flyaway hair from her face. The sensation of his fingers brushing her skin sent shivers coursing through her.
Steady, girl.
He leaned in, and her willpower flew out the window. He was making it hard to resist him.
Dear Reader,
I’m absolutely thrilled to be kicking off Harlequin American Romance’s newest continuity, Harts of the Rodeo. This series has all the elements that fans of romance love to read about and we Harlequin American authors love to write about. A small-town setting, complicated family dynamics, dark and difficult pasts, unplanned pregnancies, single parenthood, secret children, substance addiction, a string of thefts, rodeos, handsome, sexy cowboys—naturally—and last but not least, a magnificent bucking horse, Midnight, who resides at the center of each story.
My hero, Aidan “Ace” Hart, is like a lot of men. He believes it’s his job to carry the responsibility for his family’s horse breeding business on his shoulders alone. Ace’s loyalty to his family, while admirable, jeopardizes his relationship with Flynn McKinley, the girl next door, Ace’s one-time sweetheart and the soon-to-be mother of his child. On top of everything else, he must rehabilitate Midnight, the unmanageable stud horse he and his mother purchased in the hopes of rescuing the family from the brink of financial danger.
Be sure and check out next month’s book, Colton: Rodeo Cowboy by C.J. Carmichael, which features my hero Ace’s younger brother Colt, his love interest, Leah, and continues the exciting story of Midnight, the horse destined to unite the Harts.
Warmest wishes,
Cathy McDavid
P.S. I always enjoy hearing from readers. You can contact me at [email protected].
Aidan: Loyal Cowboy
Cathy McDavid
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cathy makes her home in Scottsdale, Arizona, near the breathtaking McDowell Mountains, where hawks fly overhead, javelina traipse across her front yard and mountain lions occasionally come calling. She embraced the country life at an early age, acquiring her first horse in eighth grade. Dozens of horses followed through the years, along with mules, an obscenely fat donkey, chickens, ducks, goats and a pot-bellied pig who had her own swimming pool. Nowadays, two spoiled dogs and two spoiled-er cats round out the McDavid pets. Cathy loves contemporary and historical ranch stories and often incorporates her own experiences into her books.
When not writing, Cathy and her family and friends spend as much time as they can at her cabin in the small town of Young. Of course, she takes her laptop with her on the chance inspiration strikes.
Aidan: Loyal Cowboy
To all the people who made this book possible. First, the five lovely and talented ladies who are my co-authors in this continuity—C.J. Carmichael, Roz Denny Fox, Shelley Galloway, Marin Thomas and Linda Warren. Your creativity amazes me, and I am truly honored to share this continuity with you.
It’s true that behind every good author is a good editor. I’ve been fortunate to work with Kathleen Scheibling since I started writing for Harlequin. I can’t thank you enough, Kathleen, for all the opportunities you’ve given me and all the faith you’ve placed in me. Writing books for Harlequin isn’t just my job, it’s my passion and a dream come true. I’m also delighted to have worked with Johanna Raisanen on this and the previous continuities. There isn’t a more conscientious, more charming, more intelligent editor. Just how lucky can an author get?
Last, I must give a nod of appreciation to Walter Farley, author of the Black Stallion and Island Stallion series. The books I discovered in third grade led to a lifelong love affair with horses and, ultimately, Aidan: Loyal Cowboy.
Contents
Chapter One
Mid-March in southeastern Montana was no time of year for a bucking horse auction. And yet, better than a hundred people had driven as many miles or more, braved ice-covered highways and trudged across acres of gray-brown slush, all in search of a bargain.
Ace Hart among them.
He stood with seven other potential customers, appraising the coal-black stallion and