Tour Stop & Excerpt #4: The Last Rodeo by Delores Fossen

Title: The Last Rodeo by Delores Fossen
Wrangler’s Creek Series Book Six
Publisher: HQN Books
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 400 pages

Summary:

The most important two words for this Wrangler’s Creek rodeo cowboy? I do…

Lucian Granger isn’t winning any Mr. Cowboy Congeniality awards. Known in his small Texas town as “Lucifer” thanks to his surly nature and knack for scaring people away from getting too close, the handsome rancher has no trouble ignoring the gossip. But when he’s in danger of losing the land he’s put his blood, sweat and tears into maintaining, Lucian sets out to prove he’s a changed man—by claiming he’s about to settle down with his invaluable assistant, Karlee O’Malley.

Their pending nuptials may be just for show, but from the moment they kiss, the proverbial fireworks start going off in his head—and in his heart. Before long, the man who’s usually as emotional as a brick wall is tired of pretending and wants to share a real future with Karlee. With his world suddenly turned upside down, Lucian will risk losing the business and the ranch if it means holding on to the one woman worth becoming a better man for.

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Excerpt #4

Too bad it came with so much pressure that sometimes Lucian felt as if it was eating him up on the inside. No way, though, would he ever admit that to anyone. Because it would be a sign of weakness. His father was weak. He wasn’t.

“When are you going to give up this wacky notion of winning a bronc-riding competition in the Wrangler’s Creek Charity Rodeo?” she asked.

“I’ll give up when I win.”

Though he was sure Karlee was skeptical that would ever happen. She had a reason for that skepticism, too. He’d been competing in the bronc-riding event since he was eighteen, which meant this next one would be his nineteenth try. Those same folks who called him Lucifer also called him a dumbass, hardheaded idiot when it came to the charity rodeo competition.

“Since I know you’re not going to want me to reschedule any of your meetings for today, I’ve already sent your agenda to your phone,” Karlee said, jumping right into business.

Lucian didn’t mind the shift in conversation. They’d already wasted enough time on his fall and the rodeo training.

“You have a meeting in forty-five minutes here at the ranch, but then you have to leave for Austin,” she went on. “Today and tomorrow, there’s a dinner, a lunch and five other meetings. Six if you want to deal personally with the issues with the new feed supplier.”

Lucian shook his head, but then winced when the motion tugged and pulled at his sore shoulder. “No dealing with a feed supplier. If it’s ranch business, continue to give it to Dylan.”

His brother had been running the majority of the ranch operations for a while now, and Lucian wanted to keep it that way. Well, unless the feed issue got worse, and then he’d step in—something that would likely piss off both Dylan and the suppliers. But Lucian didn’t put hurt feelings and stepped-on toes ahead of the bottom line.

And the bottom line was success.

Because failure was a sign of weakness.

“The painters start on the interior of your house in San Antonio tomorrow,” Karlee continued as they went in through the back of the house. “So, when you finish up in Austin, you probably shouldn’t go there because of the fumes. I’ll hang around if you want to come back here so we can get some work done. Oh, and I put a suit on your bed for you to pack—which I know you won’t do, but the dinner tomorrow night is business formal.”

Lucian didn’t know what the hell that meant, but he was certain of one thing. He wouldn’t be packing, or wearing, that suit.

He wasn’t sure he’d ever even bought a suit, which meant his mother, Regina, likely had. She was always trying to turn him into something he wasn’t. As the family CEO, she always thought he should dress like a guy who sat behind a desk. He did an ample amount of desk sitting, but he was still a cowboy. Besides, ties and suits were uncomfortable.

“I’ll make sure my boots don’t have cow shit on them,” Lucian grumbled. “That’ll be business formal enough.”

Karlee sighed and made a sound of resigned disagreement.

Lucian huffed and made a sound of “you’re wasting your sigh.”

USA Today bestselling author, Delores Fossen, has sold over 70 novels with millions of copies of her books in print worldwide. She’s received the Booksellers’ Best Award, the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award and was a finalist for the prestigious Rita ®. In addition, she’s had nearly a hundred short stories and articles published in national magazines.