Cowboy Daddy
Shauntelle Dexter’s twin girls think they’ve found their perfect new dad in cowboy Noah Cosgrove. But how could she ever be interested in the man her family believes responsible for her brother’s death? Besides, while she’s putting down roots in Cedar Ridge, the big-city contractor will soon be hitting the highway straight out of town—until he’s roped into building Shauntelle’s dream restaurant. Working beside her reopens old wounds Noah would rather forget. But he doesn’t know real trouble until his mother and the twins join forces. One wily matchmaker, two precocious little girls and one beautiful woman may be more than a reluctant cowboy can resist.
CAROLYNE AARSEN and her husband, Richard, live on a small ranch in northern Alberta, where they have raised four children and numerous foster children and are still raising cattle. Carolyne crafts her stories in an office with a large west-facing window, through which she can watch the changing seasons while struggling to make her words obey. Visit her website at carolyneaarsen.com.
Also By Carolyne Aarsen
Cowboys of Cedar Ridge
Courting the Cowboy
Second-Chance Cowboy
The Cowboy’s Family Christmas
A Cowboy for the Twins
Big Sky Cowboys
Wrangling the Cowboy’s Heart
Trusting the Cowboy
The Cowboy’s Christmas Baby
Lone Star Cowboy League
A Family for the Soldier
Refuge Ranch
Her Cowboy Hero
Reunited with the Cowboy
The Cowboy’s Homecoming
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.
A Cowboy for the Twins
Carolyne Aarsen
ISBN: 978-1-474-08029-3
A COWBOY FOR THE TWINS
© 2018 Carolyne Aarsen
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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Version: 2020-03-02
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She needed to get away.
But no sooner had she stood when her daughters left her side and went straight to the man she wanted to avoid.
When she caught up to them, the girls were chatting away with Noah and his mother.
“Millie, Margaret, don’t be pests,” Shauntelle said.
“She invited us over,” Millie told Shauntelle, as she pointed at Noah’s mother. “Can we go ride the horses?”
“I don’t think so.” She gave her daughter a gentle tug, but Millie pulled away, throwing Shauntelle off balance. As she began to fall, a strong arm snaked around her waist.
Noah held her closer than she liked, creating a curious mix of discomfort and assurance. “Are you okay?”
“I— Yes. Thank you.” She looked up at him, ready to pull away. But then their eyes met and in their depths she saw an indefinable emotion. Regret? Sorrow?
She found herself unable to look anywhere but at him. Her heart rolled over in her chest as the warmth of his arm registered. Even as one thought echoed in her brain.
This man is responsible for your brother’s death.
Grief hits us all in ways unique to each of us. A loss in the family is handled differently by each person.
In this book, Shauntelle was dealing with several varieties of grief. The loss of her husband, followed by the loss of her brother. On top of that, she was living with her parents, who were dealing with their own grief. When Noah comes to town, she has an easy target for the anger portion of grief that is often woven into sorrow.
Noah is struggling with his own guilt over the death of Shauntelle’s brother, and seeing Shauntelle and her family’s reaction to his presence in town only underscores that guilt. He didn’t really want to come back to town, but obligation and the need to see his mother brought him there.
However, Noah has his own past and his own pain to deal with. His sorrow is connected to dark memories, hard work and a bad relationship with his father. He has to learn to separate past from present, which is the same lesson that Shauntelle and her family have to learn.
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