She’s determined to save her family’s ranch—but there’s a cowboy hitch in her plans…in this engagingly endearing romance from USA Today bestselling author Ophelia London… Releasing on June 10, 2024, this book is currently available for purchase. Find out where to order here.
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“I need to talk to you,” Josh said.
Roxy was dressed in a pink T-shirt and jeans, brown riding boots up to her knees, and her dark hair spilling over her shoulders. That was all he chose to notice at the moment.
“Okay,” she said, walking toward and then past him until they were both on the porch.
Josh tried not to read into that…but because of what happened yesterday, did she not want him inside the house? He pushed past that insecurity, telling stories to himself to explain other people’s behavior was another bad habit he was trying to break.
The counselor had helped him rehearse what he wanted to say to Roxy, and he’d run through the lines all night. Standing before her now, however, his mind was blank.
“First, I want to apologize for yesterday.”
She leveled her chin, tucking some loose strands of hair behind an ear. “Okay.”
He held his breath for a moment before going on. “What you said—what you did, made me pretty much lose it.”
Roxy’s eyebrows furrowed apologetically. “Look, I know I shouldn’t have—”
“Please.” He held up a hand, recognizing his mistake too late. “It’s not you. It’s nothing you did.”
She blinked. “But you just said…”
“I know. Sorry, this isn’t making sense.” He exhaled in frustration at his loss for words, then took a moment to stare into the morning sky, allowing his thoughts to gather. “Can we sit?” He motioned to the pair of rocking chairs on the porch. Roxy nodded and they sat.
After flipping his hat in his hands for another full minute, Josh realized he needed to get it over with. “Roxy, do you know who I am?”
She looked at him through furrowed brows. “Joshua Manning. I hired you to—”
“No,” he cut in. “Do you know me from before?”
“Before what?”
“Before…now.”
“Do you mean…” She sat up straight, eyes bright. “Are you saying we’ve met? Because I wondered that when I first saw you. I mean, I know we haven’t because I would obviously remember a…a…” She pressed her lips together. “What I’m trying to say is I did get the impression we knew each other.”
Josh stared down at the dusty porch that needed a fresh coat of sealer. “I guess that makes sense.”
“What does?”
He rubbed his jaw, hesitating once more. “Part of me is insulted you don’t remember, while another part’s relieved.”
When he didn’t go on, she laughed nervously. “I don’t understand.”
Josh nodded a few times, grateful he’d talked to the counselor yesterday instead of staying angry and doing something he would’ve regretted. Something he would have done even a year ago.
***
She’s determined to save her family’s ranch—but there’s a cowboy hitch in her plans…in this engagingly endearing romance from USA Today bestselling author Ophelia London…
In a family made almost entirely of successful overachievers, Roxy Elliott is the odd woman out. Yet she’s determined to save her family’s old, run-down ranch from being sold and razed to the ground and, in the process, to prove that she has more heart—and ambition—than her family expected. The only problem? In a town as small as Mount Joy, there’s just one guy who can help her with the ranch’s transformation…and he’s a complete pain in her backside.
Had he known firecracker Roxy Elliott would be his new boss, ex-soldier-turned-cowboy Josh Manning definitely would have taken a hard pass on the town’s new job. He has his own memories from the last time they were together, and he’s not about to let her off the hook a second time. But Josh will do anything to save his family home from foreclosure, even sell his soul to the last woman he ever would have wanted to be partners with. But Roxy Elliott might just surprise him yet…
At first, nothing goes according to plan. The pipes are all rusted, the hideous wallpaper is impossible to remove, and the front porch is one rotten board away from swallowing someone whole. Now the dude ranch is showing some serious potential for not only transforming the community, but both their lives, as well. But while Roxy Elliott is still the loveliest thing to ever cross paths with a grump like Josh, summer romances never last forever…and history has a tendency to repeat itself.
USA Today bestselling author Ophelia London was born and raised among the redwood trees in beautiful northern California. Once she was fully educated, she decided to settle in Florida, but her car broke down in Texas, and she’s lived in Dallas ever since. She enjoys cupcakes, treadmills, reruns of Dawson’s Creek, and obsessing over her Italian greyhound, Peanut. Ophelia is the author of Never an Amish Bride, first in the Honey Brook series, as wells as the Sugar City series, the Perfect Kisses series, the Abby Road series, and other adult, new adult, and young adult sweet romances. Visit her online at ophelialondon.com.
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