A Fresh Fiction 2010 Favorite Read. 

Carolyn Brown
Author Book List

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?

Excerpt

“Ten, hell yeah!”

The women yelled with Gretchen Wilson as she sang “Redneck Woman” and asked the redneck girls to give her a big hell yeah as the New Year’s countdown began.

“Nine, hell yeah.”

“Eight, hell yeah.”

Everyone held up their plastic flute of champagne.

“Seven, hell yeah!”

The men in the Honky Tonk beer joint yelled with the women.

“Six, hell yeah!”

“Five, hell yeah!”

Cathy was half way across the dance floor headed for the bar and stopped to look at everyone who’d 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.

“Four, hell yeah!”

She looked up to see a cowboy coming right at her. She blinked a several times. It wasn’t possible. Her imagination was playing tricks like it had for twelve years.

“Three, hell yeah!”

Watching him cross the floor in those long strides made goose bumps the size of mountains rise up on her arms.

“Two, hell yeah!”

Was he deranged or just drunk? If he didn’t stop soon he would plow right into her.

“One! Hell yeah!” 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.

“Hell yeah!” the whole crowd roared when their kisses ended.

“Hell, no!” Cathy mumbled. She wiped the back of her hand across her mouth but it didn’t 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 didn’t 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 hadn’t left much for haircuts, though, because blond curls touched his shirt collar.

“Happy New Year.” He was surprised that he could speak a coherent sentence. He only meant to kiss the woman for New Year’s. He didn’t mean for it to glue his boots to the hardwood dance floor and put a shit eating grin on his face. If he’d had to wipe the smile from his face or eat dirt, he’d have had to open up his mouth and shovel in a spoon full. Hot damn, but that woman had the softest, sexiest lips he’d ever kissed.

“Who in the hell are you?” Cathy asked.

“I’m Travis Henry. I’m supposed to meet Merle and Angel Avery here. I am at the Honky Tonk, aren’t I?”

Can't help falling in love with you.

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Honky Tonk

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