Samantha Ryder had spent the first 16 years of her life in the little town of Deerhaven, California and hero worshiping and antagonizing Hunter Steele, well at least antagonizing his dates. She moved away and though she visited her aunt and the townsfolk she had gotten on with her life to become a cop in Detroit. When she finds out her aunt has died of an "accidental overdose", she comes back ready to find the truth, because there was no way that happened. She should have known Hunter would still be there and is now the sheriff. She's not about to let him stop her and to her surprise he doesn't plan to. He has other plans.
Hunter had always adored Samantha or "Pixie Pest" as he called her and when he sees her all grown up he is floored. Something about this not so "pixie" woman sets him on fire. A distraction he doesn't need right now until he realizes she understands his world and she could be an asset, Of course, this helps as he tries anything and everything he can to make her stay. Offer her a job and a very warm bed could be a good start. But can he protect her from the hell that is coming their way?
I have said a number of times in reviews that you will not want to put a particular book down -- that is not the case with ONE TOUGH COWBOY -- in this case, you cannot put it down. Authors Lora Leigh and Veronica Chadwick throw you right into the action, and you go non-top to the last page.
Samantha and Hunter have a sweet history but now that they are grown up they burn up the pages together while trying to work out the death of her aunt, his uncle and another member of the small town they both grew up in. It doesn't take long before they realize it is beyond anything they could have imagined and Sam's ex-fiance is a surprise part of the danger.
The pages are action-packed, with characters that make you want to move to a small town to feel the love and others that make you glad you didn't. There is also one character, Jacob, that I really would like to see more of as he is an intriguing, secretive, good guy.
If I gave stars for reviews I would have to give this five plus because when I did manage to put it down I was wondering what was going on in the town, would Sam give in to the emotional and physical pull and would they manage to work together when she tended to make everything a contest, and she hated to lose. ONE TOUGH COWBOY will stay with you, make you think, make you sigh and make you want more.
First in a brand-new series from #1 New York
Times
bestselling author Lora Leigh and Veronica Chadwickabout one manโs pursuit of justiceโand unbridled
desire. LAW AND ORDER.
For as long as Samantha can remember, Hunterโa man as
strong
as steel, with a heart of goldโhas been her hero. It came
as
no surprise to Samantha when she found out that the
ranch-hardened cowboy who always protected her from bullies
went on to become the townโs sheriff. What does
surprise her is how incredibly hot he still is. And how
much she still wants himโฆ
PRIDE AND PASSION
And, lo and behold, Hunter still has feelings for Samantha.
The long-smoldering heat of their innocent flirtation has
grown into a full-raging fire. But when tragedy strikes,
and
their small-town community is shattered, Hunter vows to do
everything he can to keep his childhood sweetheart safe.
But
can Samantha trust that Hunter has her best interests at
heartโฆand that, after all these years, his love is true?
EXCERPT
He hadnโt changed much. He seemed bigger, his shoulders
broader. His signature thick, black hair was cut in a
shorter style. As he got closer, Samantha noticed his face
had changed quite a bit. Any boyish softness heโd once had
was all gone and had been replaced with hard planes and
angles, except for his full, well-defined lips. There were
fine laugh lines fanning out from the corners of his steel
gray eyes. Those eyes were more intense, hard. The easy
laughter that lit them when he was younger seemed to be
gone.
โMs. Bell.โ He nodded in greeting to the diminutive lady.
โGood of you to come by, Sheriff. Little Samantha is
handlinโ all this by herself.โ She winked and patted his
arm. โShe could use a little help, Iโm thinkinโ.โ
Samantha wanted to walk away. She also wanted to throw her
arms around Hunter and hold on for dear life. Not just
because he still made her heart pound, but because he was a
part of her life she thought sheโd lost. She wanted to hold
on to a stable, warm part of her past where she was happy
and safe. Seeing him again brought those memories and
emotions all rushing back. โHey, Sam.โ The smooth, deep
bass of his voice was quiet and soothing.
โHey, Hunter.โ His name left her lips with more com- posure
than she felt.
โIโm sorry I couldnโt make it to the funeral, but I wanted
to come by to extend my condolences, and to see how youโre
doinโ.โ He stepped closer and rubbed her bare one tough
cowboy
upper arm. โYou holdinโ up okay?โ His hand, a bit rough and
callused from real work, was warm, reassuring.
She crossed her arms over her chest. โIโm okay, Hunter,
thank you.โ She cleared her throat. โEveryone brought food.
The dining room table is overflowing. Help yourself.โ
He followed her through the living room to the din- ing
room. She turned and almost jumped back. He was standing
inches away, looking down at her. His brows furrowed, his
gaze sharply assessing her. He smelled in- credible, and he
stood so close she could feel the heat from his body.
She opened her mouth to say something but forgot what she
wanted to say. She must look completely ignorant gaping up
at him like that.
โAre you sure youโre all right?โ Sympathy and con- cern
shadowed his expression, softening the harsher lines of his
face.
โItโs been a long day. Iโm fine, really.โ She was a bas-
ket case, and not just because of her auntโs death.
Hunter gave her a gentle smile and pulled out a chair. โNo
doubt. Sit and talk to me for a while. I havenโt seen you
in what? Ten years?โ
Samantha welcomed the chance to get off her feet and get
away from the crowd for a bit. โYeah, about ten years, I
think.โ
He pulled out the chair beside her, turned it toward her,
and sat, staring at her solemnly. โIโm real sorry about
Dottie.โ
โMe too.โ She looked into his eyes, assessing whether she
could or should continue. โI really didnโt get enough time
with her. Iโll always regret that.โ
Hunter shook his head. โSam, you know Dottie thought the
world of you. She knew you loved her and she loved you.โ
Had she? Samantha couldnโt help but question the ob-
servation. School, her career, and far too many emo- tions
had seemed to always get in the way of returning to
Deerhaven.
โYes, I know, but I look around at these people and think
of how some of them probably knew her even better than I
did, her own niece.โ Samantha frowned and gestured toward a
blue-haired woman sitting on the couch sobbing, clutching
another womanโs hand. โMrs. Holt is devastated.โ
She obviously had not talked to her aunt on the phone
enough either, because Dottie had never mentioned the other
woman.
A small smile touched Hunterโs far-too-sensual lips as he
lowered his head and leaned closer. โSam, Irene Holt never
even met Dottie. She attends any and all fu- nerals and
wails and carries on like that at every one of โem.โ
Amusement touching his gaze.
Samantha looked at him incredulously until he raised his
hand and said, โHand to God. Every one of โem.โ
โWow.โ No wonder her aunt Dottie had never men- tioned the
other woman.
โYep.โ Hunterโs smile broadened. โAs for the rest of them,
theyโre just being neighborly or nosy. Most of โem still
remember your family and you. You were pretty hard to
forget . . . Pixie Pest.โ His brows lifted playfully.
Teasingly.
Samantha narrowed her eyes. โUgh. That nickname.
I donโt know which is worse, that or Sami Jo.โ
She protested it. Just as she always had. That flare of
warmth she felt whenever it passed his lips was still
there, though.
โYou earned it.โ
โPsh, whatever.โ Sheโd actually worked at it at the time.
Hunter chuckled and she nearly sighed. Lord, sheโd missed
his laugh, his smile, even the way heโd tease her. Sheโd
missed him.
โAw, you know I was always fond of you, Pixie. You were a
great kid, even if you were a pest that was con- stantly
following me around and giving my girlfriends hell.โ
She had been such a tomboy with wild, young girl fantasies
of being swept off her feet by the cutest boy in Deerhaven,
or the whole wide world, for that matter. Heโd called her
his Pixie Pest whenever heโd seen her and tugged at her
long, tangled hair.
โIโm not a kid anymore.โ She held his gaze and couldnโt
imagine how sheโd gotten so bold.
Hunterโs gaze traveled over her body, a single black brow
arching slowly in acknowledgment. โIโve noticed. Iโm trying
really hard to remember what a pain in the ass you used to
be.โ
Samantha lifted a brow. โI can still be a pain in the ass.โ
โI bet you can.โ The look in his eyes was making her feel
way too hot, way too needy.
She didnโt want to go there. Not now. After Tom No- vak,
the very last thing she needed was another relation- ship.
Besides all that, she was here to get answers, not to get
laid.
Clearing her throat again, she changed the subject to the
one on which she had to keep her focus. โHunter, what
really happened to Aunt Dottie?โ
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