Josie Dawson is new in town, but it doesn't take a local to know that Deke
Sullivan is trouble--in a smokin' hot package. He's sweet, sexy, and has charmed
just about every woman in Dry Creek, Texas. Well, Josie won't be next. She'll
keep her distance, even if he is great with babies and makes a mean cup of
homemade hot chocolate.
Deke Sullivan really is a one-woman type of guy. He just had to do a lot of
looking to find that one woman. Now he thinks he's found her and he won't let a
strong, sassy gal like Josie slip away. Just when he's wondering how to convince
her he only has eyes for her, they get stranded in a tiny cabin during a major
blizzard. If Deke can melt her heart before they dig out of the snow, he'll be
the luckiest cowboy in Texas . . .
Josie could hardly take her eyes off Dekeβs strong arms as he carried a pile of
wood the short distance from the box to the fireplace. To have those arms around
her, to cuddle up next to him on one of those bunk bedsβshe shook her head to
get the picture out of it and reached for the tin box of matches on the mantel.
βHow many do you need?β she asked.
βJust one,β he answered.
βConfident, arenβt you?β
βNot confidence, just practice, maβam.β He got the fire going with the first
one.
βImpressive,β she said.
βWeβll get it warmed up in here soon enough.β
Josie sat down on the sofa facing the fireplace and took stock of the little
cabin. A set of bunk beds covered the wall to her right. A doorway into a
bathroom was to her left along with crudely made bookshelves with about a
hundred well-worn paperback books. A deck of cards was in the middle of a card
table with a couple of folding metal chairs on either side. A second table was
fitted into the small corner from the end of the bunk beds to the wall and
another oil lamp had been placed in the middle of it.
βWeβll survive,β Deke said.
βWho are you trying to convince? Me or you?β Josie asked.
βBoth of us. Itβs better than freezing to death in our vehicles. Lord, I wish I
would have turned around and gone right back home when the first snowflake hit,β
he answered.
βMe too.β She threw one arm over her head and groaned.
βTop or bottom?β Deke asked.
βWell, now that depends on lots of things,β she said before she thought.
Deke whipped around, his eyes big as silver dollars. βWhat did you say?β
She blushed and quickly covered her blooper. βI donβt care. I could sleep right
here. Maybe Iβll wake up to find this is all a dream.β
βOkay then, Iβll take the bottom bunk. Rascal gets restless if heβs not sleeping
right beside the bed on his blanket or else on the foot of it. And darlinβ, if
you wake up and find this is a dream, donβt leave me behind.β
βNo way, cowboy. You are stuck with me for the duration of this damned storm.β
Carolyn Brown is a New York Times and USA Today best
selling author and a RITA Finalist who has sold more than 2.75 million books.
She presently writes both women's fiction and cowboy romance. She has also
written historical single title, historical series, contemporary single title,
and contemporary series.
She credits her eclectic family for her humor
and writing ideas. She was born in Texas but grew up in southern Oklahoma where
she and her husband, Charles, a retired English teacher, now make their home in
the town of Davis, Oklahoma. They have three grown children and enough
grandchildren to keep them young.
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