Title Honoring Freedom (Cowboys of Sagebrush Rose Book 3)
Author Rhonda Lee Carver
Genre Contemporary Western Romance
Book Blurb
Freedom Rose sweeps back into his life wielding a pan...literally.
Bearded, silver-fox Dr. Keller Abbott is living his dream...but one thing is missing--a second chance with the one woman he loved and lost a long time ago. She might think he's still the passive "dude" who followed her around like a puppy, but she's in for a rude awakening. He's confident, self-assured, and has a smile that can knock a cowgirl right out of her boots...And he's all man.
After Sam Rose demanded that his daughters marry or lose everything, things at Sagebrush Rose Ranch have been a bit...well, boring. The hands walk a wide circle around Freedom like she has the cooties. They're all business and no bad-boy. Except, there's one cowboy who doesn't seem to scare easily. Problem is, she loved him once--maybe still does. He wouldn't be the ideal "fake" husband, but Freedom is running out of time.
Keller hates drama, and Freedom is trouble, but there's just something about her that he can't seem to get over. Is it the silver-blue eyes? Or the smile that makes a man sweat? Her spitfire attitude? Or simply that he never stopped loving her. When her life implodes, the least he can do is help her out of a jam. But marriage?! Whew! That's a little more than helping an old lover out.
There's enough trouble dealing with a Rose sister, but soon the trouble turns to real danger when Freedom's life could be in danger.
Excerpt:
The door came flying open to the bathroom and Keller nearly pissed all over the floor and himself. “Damn, Freedom. Pissing here,” he pushed out between thin lips.
“Like I haven’t seen it all before. From what I remember you never suffered from stage fright. You and your buddies used to see who could hit the bullseye.”
Sighing, he pushed himself back into his jeans and turned. She blocked his path to the sink. “Excuse me.”
She stared back at him like she could gladly filet him with her fingernails. “We’re not done talking.”
“I’ve been in town for weeks and you’re picking this very moment, while I’m in the bathroom, to have a conversation?” When she didn’t respond he gritted his teeth in frustration. “Can I at least wash my hands?”
She took a step to her right and he turned on the water at the sink. He looked at her reflection over his shoulder while he squirted some soap onto his hands. He chuckled at seeing her annoyance. “It’s too early in the morning for this, Free. Come back when I’ve had a pot of coffee and a fifth of tequila.”
“You need to take this seriously, Keller.” She angled her hip.
He splashed his face with water before he grabbed his toothbrush and squeezed out a ribbon of toothpaste on the bristles. “If you don’t plan on leaving, then we might as well get this over with. What’s exactly bothering you?”
“Didn’t you hear me? I’ll repeat it. Tell Daddy that you’ve changed your mind and you no longer want to accept the job as ranch vet.”
"You don't get to order me around and tell me where I live," he mumbled as foam trickled down his chin.
“Oh, you can still live here. It’s far enough away from Sagebrush Rose that we won’t have to see each other.”
“Wow. So generous of you.” He spit into the sink. “For your information, ranch vet isn’t a job. It’s a career. I’m home. Right where I want to be. You’ll have to learn to accept that.”
“Not on my ranch you don’t. That’s my territory.”
“I don’t remember having to ask for your permission.” He rinsed his toothbrush and wiped his mouth on the towel on the hook. He leaned against the sink, giving her his undivided attention. He didn’t expect to feel a fluttering in his chest and chalked it up to their unrefined history together. Although fifteen years had elapsed since he last saw her, she had changed very little. Her hair, more strawberry than blonde, brought out the crystal blue of her eyes that were surrounded in thick, long eyelashes. So long that every time they fluttered shut, they grazed her freckled cheeks like a lover’s caress. He recalled how beautiful her smile always was, rivaling the sunlight, but now there wasn't even a glimmer of it.
Did she still really hate him that much? Even after all these years.
“I’m not joking.”
“This isn’t a joking matter.” He left her standing there smirking. He stepped down the hall into his bedroom and she was right on his heels.
“We’re not done discussing this.”
Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.
The bedsprings in Keifer’s room were being worked like an audition for an X-rated movie on the other side of the wall.
“He and his girl must have made up,” Keller said. He hated the thin walls.
This was one of the things he detested about living with his brother again. Growing up with five of them in the house, there wasn’t a single day that a fight didn’t break out over stinky socks left in every available nook and cranny, someone drinking all the milk and whose turn it was to take out the trash. And…awkward sounds coming from bedrooms.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Keifer’s headboard hit the wall.
“Oh, that’s just great,” Freedom’s sunkissed cheeks turned a pale pink.
“Try sleeping when it’s going on all night,” he mumbled while picking up his scattered clothing off the floor and dropping the armful into the basket. “Then again, this could very well be payback. Do you still moan loud enough for people in the next county to hear?”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/honoring-freedom-cowboys-of-sagebrush-rose-book-3-by-rhonda-lee-carver
Author Biography:
Rhonda Lee Carver is a bestselling author of contemporary western and romantic suspense, but she loves to write other genres too. She's known for writing stories that keep readers laughing, crying, gripping the edge of their seats, and screaming all in one book...like riding a virtual roller coaster. Whether she's creating sexy cowboys or tough guys, or sassy, independent heroines, readers are sure to find strong, powerful, memorable characters that are relatable.
By day, she taps into her creative, fictional world but at some point she transitions back into reality where she's a volleyball-stands cheerleader, homework virtuoso (at least she thinks so), amateur nurse to skinned knees, mediocre chef with some awesome microwave skills, pet-guru (all the strays show up at her house), and a Jackie of all trades for her kids who are the loves of her life. Yoga and chocolate keep her sane. Hallmark movies require cuddling up with tissues because she can be emotional. She adds a sprinkle of her own real-life adventures in each story she spins because a little truth never hurt anyone. She wouldn't give up one thing in her crazy, chaotic, ever-amusing life, except, she might do magic tricks for the bungalow on the beach she's had her eye on (GOALS).
Writing for Rhonda is like falling in love and finding a new best friend over and over again. Her characters will find a place inside your heart too.
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