âHave you even seen a horse since you left Texas?
âI thought once the cattle were calm you and I could ride out to the draw and back in one day. But if you havenât ridden in a while, youâd end up too saddle-sore to sit for a cross-country flight.â
âDonât sell me short,â JJ said, further irritated because the sight of his large hands around the can made her insides squirm. âMagazine photography isnât all glamour. Iâve trekked into some wild and woolly spots, and I always carry my own equipment.â
âTouchy, I see,â Mack drawled.
âYouâre darned tootin'.â She tossed back some of the Texas lingo she hadnât fully lost. âIâm no hothouse flower, Mack. If I wasnât needed here today, Iâd ride along and photograph your whole trail ride. And I wouldnât need special privileges.â
âIf it bothers you to stay behind with Zoey and Erma,â he snapped, âIâll leave the guys to calm the herd and ride back here this afternoon.â
âIâm not bothered.â She drew back, giving him a puzzled look. âAre you bothered about leaving me here? Are you afraid Iâll run off with the Bannerman silver?â
ROZ DENNY FOXâS first book was published by Mills & Boon in 1990. She writes for various Mills & Boon>® lines and for special projects. Her books are published worldwide and in a number of languages. Sheâs also written articles, as well as online serials for Mills & Boon. Rozâs warm home- and family-focused love stories have been nominated for various industry awards, including the Romance Writers of Americaâs RITA, The Holt Medallion, The Golden Quill and others. Roz has been a member of Romance Writers of America since 1987, and is currently a member of Tucsonâs Saguaro Romance Writers, where she has received The Barbara Award for outstanding chapter service. Sheâs also a member of Desert Rose RWA chapter in Phoenix, Midwest Fiction Writers of Minneapolis, San Angelo Texas Writersâ Club, and Novelists, Inc. In 2013 Roz received her fifty-book pin from Mills & Boon.
To view her backlist visit her website at www.korynna.com/RozFox. Readers can e-mail her through Facebook or [email protected].
This book is dedicated to my critique partners, Cindy, Suzanne and Laura. They are avid readers and talented writers. In addition to busy lives, they make time to read and constructively point out ways to strengthen my stories.
Thanks for being my writing cheerleaders.
Chapter One
âSeventh grade is so gonna suck.â Zoey Bannerman flopped down on her best friend Brandy Eversâs couch and accepted a bowl of potato chips. âThanks. The Open House at the junior high was the worst! Did you hear that snarky Heather Reed say I dress like a cowboy? She said Jay Lowery and all his friends call me a loser.â
âWho cares what Heather says? Sheâs mean.â Brandy looked fierce as she passed Zoey a can of soda before sinking cross-legged onto the floor.
Opening the can, Zoey let it stop fizzing before she drank. âThings would be way better if I had a mom. I even heard Erma tell my dad he needs a wife. I wish I could help him find someone nice.â
âYou say that a lot, Zoey. I dunno. My mother says you canât just go out and pick a mom. Itâs up to your dad. Maybe you should talk to him.â
âHe might think I donât love him. I do, but next year school will be different with coed dances and stuff. Dad and Erma think since we live on a ranch itâs okay if I wear jeans and boots all the time.â
âYour housekeeper makes the best cookies in the world, but sheâs my grandmaâs age. And Erma doesnât shop anywhere except at La Mesaâs general store. What about setting your dad up with Trudy Thorne? Everybody knows she likes him.â
âSheâs so phony. Erma says Trudyâs only interested in how much my dad and Turkey Creek Ranch are worth.â
âThen how about your dadâs veterinarian? You like Delaney Blair and her kid.â
âI love Delaney and Nick, but I heard Benny Lopez telling one of Dadâs new ranch hands that Delaneyâs hung up on some guy who lives in Argentina.â
âWho?â
âI donât know. He sold Dad his prize bull.â
âWeird. I wonder why they arenât married.â
Zoey shrugged. âDonât ask me. If my dad wanted to date anyone from La Mesa, donât you think heâd have done it by now?â She munched a few chips. âYour parents are so happy together. My dadâs been alone for a long time. Heâs gotta be lonely.â She set her soda can on a coaster on the coffee table. âI wish a nice woman from someplace else would move to La Mesa. Someone who wants a family.â Hesitating, Zoey added, âSomeone whoâd love my dad, but who I could talk to about clothes and...and...boys.â
âBut your dad would have to meet her and ask her out first.â
âLike thatâll happen,â Zoey lamented, twisting one of her braids.