Well the Honky Tonk is now in the capable hands of Cathy O'Dell who is sure she found a place she can feel safe in and call home. The philosophy of the Honky Tonk is if you are looking for an explanation of life you need look no further than country music. So how do you explain the instant sizzle when in walks Travis Henry and at the stroke of midnight on New Years Eve plans a big one right on Cathy's lips. Neither knows who the heck the other is. In fact Cathy is at first appalled that Travis might wreck the magic between Angel and Garrett which would not gain him any points with the romantic in her.
Cathy's kind of hoping she did a good job blowing Travis off but as luck would have it she wakes up New Years Day to the news that he will temporarily be her new neighbor working as an engineer for an company drilling for oil. Discovering that Travis is actually Angel's cousin somehow makes it more difficult for Cathy. After her last experience with love that turned somewhat violent and left her self-confidence in threads the last thing she is looking for is another entanglement. No disguising the chemistry between the two of them but for Cathy having Travis as a friend would be for the better. He has made no bones about the fact that he is there for just about two months until they discover whether or not there is oil on the property. And then he is gone on to a new site in Alaska.
Travis has been content with his life. Friendship with Cathy would suit his lifestyle as well so then why is he so unhappy. He finds it hard to believe how much he is beginning to feel for her. Cathy isn't willing to give love another chance to hurt her and she is resolved to stay at the Honky Tonk forever. So no matter what the country songs say about love neither Travis or Cathy are willing to go down that road again.
What's a redneck girl supposed to do. The Honky Tonk is restocked with some fine new characters, lively dialog and toe tapping music. Oh right it's a book -- but I swear you can hear the jukebox loud and clear. If I Love This Bar didn't make you a fan of Carolyn Brown -- this book will certainly put her on your must read list. Hell Yeah you will love this book. Enjoy.
He lives the good life...
Gorgeous and rich, Travis Henry travels the country
unearthing oil wells and then moving on. Then the beautiful
blue-eyed new owner of the Honky Tonk beer joint becomes his
best friend and so much more.
She's finally found a place that feels like home...
When Cathy O'Dell buys the Honky Tonk, the nights of cowboys
and country tunes come together to create the home she's
always wanted. Then in walks a ruggedly handsome oil man who
tempts her to trade in the happiness she's found at the
Honky Tonk for a life on the road with him...
Will a sexy showdown persuade two stubborn lovers to reveal
their true hearts' desires, or will they both be left
singing the blues?
βTen, hell yeah!β
The women yelled with Gretchen Wilson as she sang βRedneck
Womanβ and asked the redneck girls to give her a big hell
yeah as the New Yearβs countdown began.
βNine, hell yeah.β
βEight, hell yeah.β
Everyone held up their plastic flute of champagne.
βSeven, hell yeah!β
The men in the Honky Tonk beer joint yelled with the women.
βSix, hell yeah!β
βFive, hell yeah!β
Cathy was half way across the dance floor headed for the bar
and stopped to look at everyone whoβd be kissing someone in
four more seconds. She remembered the previous year when she
had someone to kiss. Even if he did turn out to be a first
rate son-of-a-bitch, she missed the excitement of bringing
in a brand new year with a kiss.
βFour, hell yeah!β
She looked up to see a cowboy coming right at her. She
blinked a several times. It wasnβt possible. Her imagination
was playing tricks like it had for twelve years.
βThree, hell yeah!β
Watching him cross the floor in those long strides made
goose bumps the size of mountains rise up on her arms.
βTwo, hell yeah!β
Was he deranged or just drunk? If he didnβt stop soon he
would plow right into her.
βOne! Hell yeah!β the noise shook the rafters.
He stopped with the toes of his scuffed up boots barely an
inch from her feet and wrapped his strong arms around her,
tilted her chin with the flat part of his fist and kissed
her hard and passionately.
βHell yeah!β the whole crowd roared when their kisses ended.
βHell, no!β Cathy mumbled. She wiped the back of her hand
across her mouth but it didnβt take the red hot sting from
her lips.
He was the exactly what she liked in a man. Tight jeans,
denim jacket over a knit shirt, blond hair and dear lord,
were those blue eyes? He looked so much like a grown up
version of her first love that she wondered why he didnβt
still wear contact lenses after the kiss when time and noise
stood still. Eyes the color of a Texas summer sky stared
down into hers from behind wire rimmed glasses. A wide grin
split his face showing off perfectly even and white teeth.
No one had teeth that perfect. No one except Bobby Cole and
that was water under a bridge that had been burned years and
years ago. Evidently a million dollar smile hadnβt left much
for haircuts, though, because blond curls touched his shirt
collar.
βHappy New Year.β He was surprised that he could speak a
coherent sentence. He only meant to kiss the woman for New
Yearβs. He didnβt mean for it to glue his boots to the
hardwood dance floor and put a shit eating grin on his face.
If heβd had to wipe the smile from his face or eat dirt,
heβd have had to open up his mouth and shovel in a spoon
full. Hot damn, but that woman had the softest, sexiest lips
heβd ever kissed.
βWho in the hell are you?β Cathy asked.
βIβm Travis Henry. Iβm supposed to meet Merle and Angel
Avery here. I am at the Honky Tonk, arenβt I?β
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