The Cowboy Next Door
A charming cowboy moving in next door shouldn’t be bad news. But veterinarian Ally Curtis knows Cody Warren—she’d never forget the boy who left her when she needed him most. Cody is doing everything he can to show his beautiful neighbor he’s not the wild bull rider he once was, from helping her find homes for her beloved strays, to protecting her when her business is threatened. But Cody has a secret that keeps him from fully reaching out. Yet as they continue to work together to promote her shelter, he can’t keep himself from hoping that Ally might have a home for him...in her heart.
Ally put her arm around Cody’s waist. “Lean on me.”
A bum leg was worth getting this close to Ally. He slipped his arm around her shoulders. Her fruity shampoo tickled his senses along with vanilla, and that fresh hay scent that had clung to her for as long as he could remember. The smell of Ally. He’d missed it.
“We’re gonna turn around nice and slow and take you back inside. Once you’re on solid ground, I’ll go warm up the soup and bring it over.”
“That’s too much trouble.” He really should tell her he could walk just fine. Just needed his cane and to take it slow. But what he ought to do and what he wanted to do were two entirely different things.
“No, it’s not.” She helped him climb his steps. “I won’t have you hurting yourself for no reason.”
She cared and smelled good. But he couldn’t get used to leaning on Ally. Couldn’t get too close. Not until he figured out his future. If he had one.
SHANNON TAYLOR VANNATTER is a stay-at-home mom/pastor’s wife/award-winning author. She lives in a rural central-Arkansas community with a population of around one hundred, if you count a few cows. Contact her at shannonvannatter.com.
Reuniting with the Cowboy
Shannon Taylor Vannatter
Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and He will establish your plans.
—Proverbs 16:3
To Dr. Mark Baker, DVM,
for keeping my pets healthy and for sharing his stories during our many appointments. Especially the mad mama cow episode, which inspired a fictionalized version for this book.
I appreciate former Aubrey City Hall secretary Nancy Trammel-Downes; Aubrey Main Street Committee member Deborah Goin; Aubrey librarian Kathy Ramsey; Allison Leslie; and Steve and Krys Murray, owners of Moms on Main, for all their help and support.
Contents
Fifteen dogs and twenty-one cats. The number of strays changed daily—but one thing didn’t—they all depended on Ally Curtis. This had to go well. She checked her appearance one more time, spritzed on vanilla body spray.
A clatter echoed through the house.
“Mom, you okay in there?”
“Just digging for a Pyrex lid.”
Ally hurried to the kitchen. Her two Pomeranians trailed behind, their nails clicking across the hardwood floor.
“Found it.” Mom snapped the blue lid onto a glass casserole dish on the counter. Layers of cream cheese and chocolate