Saddled and Spurred: A Blacktop Cowboys Novel

Table of Contents

 

 

“No one writes contemporary erotic romance better than Lorelei James. Her sexy cowboys are to die for!”

—
USA Today
bestselling author Maya Banks

 

“Lorelei James’s sassy erotic romance gives new meaning to the term ‘Wild West.’ ”

—Lacey Alexander, author of
What She Needs

 

 

“Hang on to your cowboy hats because this book is scorching hot!”

—Romance Junkies

 

“Lorelei James knows how to write fun, sexy, and hot stories.”

—Joyfully Reviewed

 

“Lorelei James excels at creating new and evocative fantasies.”

—TwoLips Reviews

 

“Incredibly hot.”

—The Romance Studio

 

“Beware: Before you read this hot erotic from Lorelei James, get a glass of ice, for you are going to need it.”

—Fallen Angel Reviews

 

“[A] wild, sexy ride.”

—
Romantic Times

 

“Plenty of steamy love scenes that will have you reaching for your own hottie!”

—Just Erotic Romance Reviews

SIGNET ECLIPSE
Published by New American Library, a division of
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First published by Signet Eclipse, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

First Printing, March 2011

Copyright © Lorelei James, 2011 All rights reserved

 

SIGNET ECLIPSE and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

 

James, Lorelei.

Saddled and spurred: a blacktop cowboys novel/Lorelei James.

p. cm

eISBN : 978-1-101-47878-3

1. Cattle breeders—Fiction. 2. Cowgirls—Fiction. 3. Ranch life—Wyoming—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3610.A4475S33 2011

813’.6—dc22 2010040087

 

 

 

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

 

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

 

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

“
Y
ou’re firing me?” Harper Masterson stared at her boss.

Alice Samuels, owner of the Tan Your Hide beauty emporium, jammed a darkly tanned hand through her salt-and-pepper curls. “Harper, honey, it ain’t nothin’ personal. People ain’t spending money on luxuries, like maintaining a year-round tan and buying customized facial products, when the economy is in the toilet. I gotta close up shop. Truth is, I should’ve done this a few months ago, but I knew . . .”

Harper bit the inside of her cheek, hard, to keep from crying—a trick she’d learned from her older sister, Liberty. “I appreciate all you’ve done for me, Alice.”

“I know you do. You’ve still got your job at Get Nailed, right?”

She nodded absentmindedly. She’d taken the job at Tan Your Hide last year because working part-time as a nail technician wasn’t paying the bills after the Tumbleweed Motel had closed for the season and she’d lost her job cleaning rooms. For the hundredth time Harper cursed her mother for taking off. She cursed this town for its limited opportunities. She cursed herself for the lack of schooling that would’ve given her a wider range of choices.

“Harper? You okay? You’re awful quiet.”

Harper glanced at Alice, but she couldn’t muster even a small smile. “I’ll be fine. What are you going to do now?”

“Roger is coming tomorrow to load the tanning beds. I got a line on a place in Casper that wants them. I’ll keep my inventory of beauty products and sell ’em outta my house.”

“Does the landlord have another renter lined up?” But it was probably too much for Harper to hope that another business would move into Muddy Gap, which boasted less than a dozen businesses—total.

Alice shook her head. “I’m afraid we’ll have another empty storefront. Sad, how this town is dyin’.”

Dying? This town had been dead since the day Harper’s mother had dragged them here. Problem was, Harper was stuck, at least for another few months, until her younger sister, Bailey, graduated from high school. Then Bailey could realize her dream of attending college. Since Bailey had been through so much in the last year and a half, Harper didn’t want to add more stress by admitting that she’d lost yet another low-paying job.

Three months. Harper needed to find work for just a little over three months. Then they both could shake the Wyoming sage off their shoes and move on with their lives.

She gave the space one last, wistful look. “I’ll miss this place.” She glanced at her boss, even more misty-eyed. “Mostly I’ll miss you, Alice.” Harper removed the front door key from her key ring, set it on the glass-topped counter, and snagged her winter coat from the closet.

As Harper untangled the fringe at the end of her fuchsia scarf, Alice said, “Wait. I have something for you,” and handed her a slip of paper.

Harper squinted at the paycheck, written out in Alice’s flowery scrawl. The amount was a hundred dollars off. She passed it back. “You made a mistake. This is too much.”

Alice squeezed Harper’s hand. “Consider it severance pay.”

She waffled, hating to take charity in any form, but the reality was ... she needed the cash.

“Please,” Alice said.

Pride wouldn’t pay the bills. “Okay. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Alice leaned in to hug Harper, enveloping her in the scent of Emeraude perfume. “Take care of yourself, Miss Harper. We’ll see each other again. Muddy Gap ain’t that big.”

And that was the biggest problem.

The bitter January wind stung Harper’s cheeks as she trudged to the small rented cottage she called home. Numb, not only from the weather but with dismay, she went on autopilot and fixed herself a cup of tea. Donning her robe and slippers, she curled into the couch and gazed out the window as she mentally listed the businesses in Muddy Gap.