Title: Hard Case Cowboy
Author: Nina Bruhns
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published in September 2005 by Silhouette Intimate Moments
IBSN: 0-3732-7455-6
The last thing that Rhiannon O’Brannoch expected to see was a cow lying in the road ahead…That was until she met the irate cowboy who was looking for the injured animal. She was at the right place, well, not quite but soon if she has her way. The road is the right one, but being stuck in the sand is not getting her to Irish Heaven, and Uncle Fitz. She is not dressed to be riding, but that is the only way to get to the ranch, and she soon finds out she was not expected, at least not by her uncle’s foreman. There is something odd in the man’s behavior, and Rhiannon hasn’t a clue as to why he is so cold and unfriendly. Sure, she wasn’t the rustler he first thought, but it doesn’t give him the right to continue to treat her as though she is a thief. He doesn’t even know her, and besides, he is just Uncle Fitz’s foreman. She is here, and she is going to stay. There is no way she can go back home, because it is not really home anymore. What was, is not happening now, and the family farm was not left to her, but to her aunt and uncle. She is a stranger there now, and not really welcome.
After losing one home, Rhiannon jumped at the chance to start over with Uncle Fits, but she is quickly finding that things are not as they seem…or as she hoped and dreamed. Her uncle is going down hill fast, Alzheimer’s is taking a toll. He has his good days, and his not so good days, and she gradually comes to appreciate the care that the very sexy and tempting Redhawk Jackson has been giving to him. She knows that if it wasn’t for the tall, handsome half-breed, her uncle would be in desperate straits, and Irish Heaven would be no more than a distant dream. The biggest shock comes to Rhiannon, when she realizes Redhawk believes that Uncle Fitz has left the farm to him, and he views her as an interloper. This is something she is truly not ready to face, and she is determined to fight for what she believes is hers, and she hopes to make a bit of…Irish Heaven.
Why did that woman have to show up now? Who does she think she is? He has worked too hard for too many years to let rustlers ruin Irish Heaven, and he is certainly not going to let some slip of a girl come in here and take it just like that either. Yes, she has a lot going for her, she is not afraid to work, she seems to know her way around a barn, but she knows nothing about herding cattle, raising beef, or the challenges of ranch life. Then there is the problem of the cattle rustling to deal with, and she is a definite liability there. There is a whole world of difference between her small Irish farm, and Irish Heaven, and the sooner she learns that and goes home, the better. It is going to take all he can do for Irish Heaven to survive the winter, and as it is, they are going to be on slim footing. These losses have to stop, and he can’t be babysitting an innocent Irish miss, and running the ranch.
Having Fitz underfoot is quite enough, and it saddens him to see his friend and mentor in such a troubled condition. Fitz knows he is deteriorating mentally, but he still tries to do what he can. More and more his mind slips into the past, and Redhawk answers to names he knows come from the older man’s youth. Now the girl is here, and it seems as though she only makes it worse. Even though she does seem to care for the man, he is still too wary to feel safe having her around. He can’t let his guard down, because he doesn’t want to get stabbed in the back. He wants Irish Heaven, he has worked hard for it, and he will not just walk away from it. He has put more than 10 hard years into the place, good times and bad he worked with Fitzhugh O’Brannoch, and together they made Irish Heaven what it is today. Fits was his friend when he was nothing but a kid on the wring path, and with Fitz, he finally found a home, a place where he belonged, a place he came back to after the injury that ruined his rodeo career. Irish Heaven is his, after all, he earned it…
Hard Case Cowboy is another of Nina Bruhns troubled heroes, and only the love of his life can truly bring him peace…yeah, that is what you might have thought if Nina wrote such maudlin stories, but NO! Not out Nina. Once again she has brought her full talent into play and given us the story of a “broken down” but not down and out cowboy who is willing to fight for what he wants. Being the foreman on the ranch with the unlikely name of Irish Heaven has hardened Redhawk Jackson, honed him into a caring friend, and a cautious man. Settling in with Fitzhugh O’Brannoch when he was a young and troubled teen was the best thing that could have happened to RedHawk. The tough old Irishman molded him into a man who could survive, and has given him a place that is truly a home. Enter Rhiannon O’Brannoch, niece, and tormentor to Redhawk, and a very real threat to his heart’s desire. She doesn’t know the whole story, but Rhiannon has her own dreams. She has already been shocked once, when her father left the family farm to her aunt, and not to her. Feeling homeless, she jumped at her uncle’s invitation to Irish Heaven, and is now facing a challenge at every step.
Again, Nina brings two strong-willed people into contact, conflict is inevitable, and the resolution is not only surprising, but the ending of Hard Case Cowboy is an entertainment in and of itself. Rhiannon and Redhawk, the Irish beauty meets the headstrong Indian, and sparks fly, igniting more than tempers. Into the mix she throws trouble on the range, and an uncle who has a savvy about the people he loves, but is slowly drifting away, and you have a book filled with excitement, mystery, danger, and the decidedly edgy read that is a Nina Bruhns hallmark. Hard Case Cowboy is available September 1st from Silhouette Intimate MomentsHard Case Cowboy…Don’t forget!
Yours in good reading,
Rose!
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