The Texan's Cowgirl Bride. Trish Milburn
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SHE WASN’T LOOKING FOR LOVE
Savannah Baron is determined to turn The Peach Pit from a simple roadside stand on her family’s Texas ranch into a bustling country store. She’s too busy with her business to even enter many rodeos anymore, let alone date. But when a health scare prompts her to search for her long-estranged mother, she discovers more than a helping hand in an old friend.
Soldier-turned-private investigator Travis Shepard never thought he’d move on after his wife’s tragic death, yet with Savannah, the walls he built around his heart begin to crumble away. But Savannah still faces a medical crisis and Travis can’t bear the idea of losing anyone else. Can he find the strength to love again?
“I had a good time tonight,” Travis said.
“Me, too.” Great, in fact. Savannah headed for the porch before she did something crazy like invite him to spend the night, and not on her couch this time. She already had too much on her mind. She didn’t need to add a serious relationship to the mix.
“Savannah?”
She turned and watched him walk slowly toward her, still looking too good to be true in the dim light. “Yeah?”
“You going to let me take you out again sometime?”
“Maybe.” Damn if her voice didn’t crack a little.
The wooden steps creaked as he climbed one then two, putting himself eye to eye with her. “I guess that’s better than a no.”
She smiled a little and realized her butterflies had returned with a vengeance. She started to turn away, but a voice inside her head screamed at her to not let him go. Not allowing the time to talk herself out of it, Savannah reached up and framed Travis’s face with her palms, heart racing as she looked up at him and gently drew him closer.
I hope you’re enjoying the story of the Baron family that was launched last month with Donna Alward’s The Texan’s Baby. I was happy to be able to write the story of another Baron sister, Savannah, who has left full-time barrel racing to put her efforts into her new passion, the farm store on her family’s Texas ranch. But when a health scare prompts her to begin searching for the mom who abandoned her, she doesn’t expect that search to bring her face-to-face with the love of her life. Private investigator Travis Shepard doesn’t expect love again after the loss of his first wife, but life has a funny way of throwing unexpected things—and people—into our paths.
We all fear loss, but it’s unfortunately a part of life. One of the biggest challenges we can face is finding the courage to love again after one of these losses. That’s what Savannah and Travis have to do to find their happily ever after. I hope you enjoy their journey.
And be sure not to miss The Texan’s Little Secret by Barbara White Daille next month. It’s the story of the third Baron sister, Carly, a big secret and a second chance at love. The Baron siblings’ stories will continue in the months following when talented authors Pamela Britton, Cathy McDavid and Tanya Michaels bring you more wonderful romances for the three Baron brothers.
Trish Milburn
The Texan’s Cowgirl Bride
Trish Milburn
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Trish Milburn writes contemporary romance for the Mills & Boon American Romance line and paranormal romance for the Mills & Boon Nocturne series. She’s a two-time Golden Heart Award winner, a fan of walks in the woods and road trips, and a big geek girl, including being a dedicated Whovian and Browncoat. And from her earliest memories, she’s been a fan of Westerns, be they historical or contemporary. There’s nothing quite like a cowboy hero.
Contents
Chapter One
Savannah Baron hit Send on the online order form for more canning jars and scratched another item off her to-do list. She grabbed the separate list she’d made for Gina Shelton, her employee, and walked out of her small office into the kitchen area of the Peach Pit, the farm store she managed on her family’s large north Texas ranching and farming operation. She walked up next to where Gina was sliding a fresh batch of fried peach pies into the glass-fronted display counter next to the cash register.
“Ben and Juan will be in later with a few more bushels of peaches. Half of them are for fresh baskets, half for a new batch of preserves. Ingrid Tollemey will be by around four this afternoon to pick up the dozen pies for the church fair. And—”
Gina smiled and held up her hand. “You’re only going to be gone a couple of days, not a month.”
Savannah nodded, realizing she was micromanaging. She hated when she did that. “And you’ve done this before. Sorry. I get carried away.”
“It’s okay. But you better get going.”
Savannah looked at the clock and hurried back into her office to grab her keys. She was supposed to meet her friend and fellow barrel racer Abby Morgan in Mineral Wells in three hours for a weekend of rodeo. It was about a hundred-mile drive, but she still had to load Bluebell into the horse trailer and toss her luggage and gear into the truck.
She heard the front door open, but she let Gina take care of the new customer. But when the phone rang, Savannah blew out a breath and answered.
“Peach Pit. How can I help you?”
“Savannah, I need for you to come to the house,” her father said. “I’ve been going over the financials for your little store, and I have some concerns.”
“Now’s not a good time, Dad.” Not that anytime was going to be