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The Singer Ropes a Cowboy

Country music superstar Bailey Bennett wasn’t looking for love, until Chip Colucci flashed her a glare she couldn’t resist.  

Country music sensation Bailey Bennett is in New York City to assist her twin sister in the buying of Bella Cosmetics and to look over a Thoroughbred who loathes racing, but while at the track, Bailey encounters an irksome stable hand looking after an abused pinto. Something about the glare in his pretty dark eyes suggests he’s believed too many of the lies printed about her. Something else suggests his sinew is exactly what she needs to overcome the past. Either way, the horses are a package deal, and she reluctantly hires Chip to acclimate them to Bennett Ranch. Has she just made a deal with the Devil? Or has she made the decision of a lifetime?

A New Yorker his entire life, Chip Colucci values family and honesty above everything else. When his father is seriously injured, he quits night school to take a part-time job bouncing at a strip club. When combined with his salary from the race track, the money’s enough to pay the never-ending doctor bills and keep food on the table. But then, Belmont cuts his hours and he’s forced to hire on with Bailey Bennett. Acclimating the horses to her family’s ranch in Reno isn’t a hardship. Working alongside her is. Lurking behind a brilliant smile is a she-devil who only cares about herself. Trouble is, he wants that she-devil to favor him, for a lifetime and more.  

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“Cat got your tongue?” he asked.

“No.” She lifted her chin. “I told you last night, I changed my mind about the job. You and I should never work together.”

“Won’t argue that, but—”

“Why would you want to work for me anyway? You’ve made it clear you don’t like me.”

“I don’t want to.” He frowned. “Something came up and I need the money, if the rumors about what your family pays are true.”

“They are, but my family wouldn’t be paying your salary. I would.” She took another deep breath, considered the depths of his dark eyes. I still don’t see a spark. More like a man coming to terms with making a pact with the Devil.

“The horses trust me,” he pointed out. “They’ll adjust to their new surroundings quicker with me there.”

“I thought the same, but I have two ranch hands who are more than capable of acclimating them to Bennett Ranch.”

“So, I’ll be working with them?”

“You’ve got gumption, and should have your hearing checked, because again, there is no job. And even if there was, you wouldn’t last more than a day.’

“Wanna bet?” He fisted his hands on his hips and she emitted a small laugh.

 “You couldn’t even stand beside me last night without squirming.”

“I didn’t squirm.”

“You did.” She emitted another laugh then sobered. “My sister thinks you don’t like cameras. She could be right, but the truth is, you’ll never be comfortable around me.”

“I never said that.”

“You don’t have to. It’s written all over your face.” She arced around him and started up the path toward the waiting limo. “Goodbye, Chip.”

“Belmont’s cutting my hours,” he blurted. “My family depends on me. I can’t help them without an income.” He fell into step alongside her. "Please?” He held her gaze with quiet desperation and something lurched toward him, and hard. 

Ah, damn…