Hard as a Rock Cowboy (Rocky Road Ranch: Book 2)
by Lexi Post
She’s the only thing standing in the way of the life he’s always wanted…
Brody Dunn is anxious to start his training as a wildlife manager and begin his new career away from Rocky Road Ranch. His father has agreed to release him from his promise to work on the ranch if he can convince the neighbors to sell their land.
When he discovers that the granddaughter of the elderly couple who owned the land has inherited it, and better yet, has lived in the city her entire life never knowing the land existed, he’s sure it will be easy getting her to sell.
Hannah Kingsley is shocked yet thrilled to discover she owns land in Four Peaks. Though it’s nothing but desert and an old casita, it’s all hers. Besides, it even comes with a knowledgeable and handsome neighbor! What could be better?
It doesn’t take long for her to realize Brody wants her to sell right away, yet the more she learns about her property, the town, and him, the more she knows this is the place for her. And just maybe, Brody’s the man for her as well. But can she get him to see what’s right in front of his nose, or will his one-track mind be his downfall?
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Excerpt:
Brody looked to where Hannah pointed briefly before grabbing his waist again. “Yes.” He adjusted their course a bit and brought them within fifty feet of the building before halting.
“Oh, I can’t wait to see this!”
At Hannah’s exclamation, alarm bells went off. He got off the ATV and before he could say anything, she’d jumped off, only to stumble a bit. He grabbed her arm to help her regain her balance.
“Thank you. I didn’t realize my equilibrium was so delicate.”
He let go when she lifted her hands up to take off the helmet. She set it on the machine before turning to look at the adobe building barely discernible from the cacti and Goat’s Beard vines growing over it and against it.
“If it wasn’t so flat out here, I would have never noticed this. I wonder if it was here even before my grandparents bought the land.”
“My guess is it’s been here at least sixty years.” He’d hoped that would make her shy away, but that wasn’t her reaction at all. In fact, her eyes widened with glee.
“Wow. That’s just amazing.” With that, she started forward.
Quickly, he grabbed her arm. “Whoa there, where you going?”
“I’m going inside, of course.”
He planted his feet, still not letting go. “I wouldn’t suggest it. That building has been abandoned to the desert. That means nature could have taken it over including animals, reptiles, and insects.”
She blinked as if considering that for the first time. “Would any of them be dangerous. I mean, beside tarantulas. I do know they live out here.”
He called on his patience, of which he wasn’t known for. She was simply ignorant of the dangers of the Sonoran Desert. He let go of her arm and stepped between her and the building to face her. He wanted her to know how serious he was. “Yes, there could be tarantulas, but also rattlesnakes, raccoons, or even javelinas, not to mention the walls could cave in.”
She eyed the building, hopefully seeing what he saw. “I didn’t realize. I guess we’ll have to investigate carefully.”
As she stepped around him, he stood in shock for a moment before his senses caught on that he needed to protect her. Spinning around, he strode up next to her. “I wouldn’t advise going inside.”
She glanced at him but kept her focus on the building. “Thank you. I still want to see it.”
Beyond picking her up and carrying her back to the ATV, there was nothing he could do. It was her land and her old casita. Still, he wouldn’t let her get hurt. Luckily, she started by walking around the structure. She stopped and pointed away from it to a pile of rotted wood on the ground. “Was that the shed?”
“Yes. There was more wood, but a lot has rotted back into the ground.”
She didn’t respond, instead continuing her walk around the building. Finally, she stopped at the front door, which was made of thick ironwood being held on by rusty hinges. “It’s beautiful.”
He frowned, not sure he heard her right. “Did you say it’s beautiful?”
She pulled out her phone and took a picture. “Yes, the way nature has wrapped its arms around this manmade structure as if to protect it. Don’t you think it’s poignant?”
Staring at the vine covered walls and a mesquite that towered over the roof, he tried to see what she saw. But he couldn’t. “It definitely makes a statement…to be careful.”
She shook her head at him before moving forward toward the door.
His hand shot out before he could take it back, and she halted. “Is something wrong.”
“Just go slow. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Her warm brown gaze softened. “I promise, I’ll be careful.”
Nodding, he curled his fingers into fists as she pushed a few vines aside, ducked beneath them, and opened the door.
About Lexi:
Lexi Post is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of romance inspired by the classics. She spent years in higher education taking and teaching courses about the classical literature she loved. From Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Masque of the Red Death” to Tolstoy’s War and Peace, she's read, studied, and taught wonderful classics.But Lexi's first love is romance novels so she married her two first loves, romance and the classics. Whether it’s sizzling cowboys, dashing dukes, hot immortals, or hunks from out of this world, Lexi provides a sensuous experience with a “whole lotta story.”
Lexi is living her own happily ever after with her husband and her two cats in Florida. She makes her own ice cream every weekend, loves bright colors, and you’ll never see her without a hat.
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