Bobby: Red, Hot & Blue, Book 6 (8 page)

Bobby pursed his lips and drew her into his arms. “I’m sorry for how you’re feeling, but I’m not sorry that I’m glad you’re staying, unemployed or not.”

“I’m not sorry I’m staying either.” She buried her head in his chest.

Pulling back, he looked down at her. “I know you’ve grown fond of The Hideaway for some strange reason, but are you ready to move into your new home now?”

She smacked his arm playfully. “Hey, we’ve made some good memories here in this room.”

Once they realized they weren’t fooling anyone by sneaking around, they’d given up hiding and Bobby had started to just spend nights here with her. It was far preferable to having sex under his parents’ roof.

He glanced at the bed and smiled. “Yes, we have. But it’s time to christen our new bedroom.”

She laughed. “Are you sure you soundproofed the walls of that apartment above your parents’ garage?”

“Oh, yeah. Double-thick insulation and three-quarter inch sheetrock, brand new double pane windows and a very loud air-conditioning unit.” He lowered his mouth to within a breath of hers. “You can be as loud as you want.”

“And so can you,” she teased and grabbed his butt.

He smiled. “You do what you did to me last night and I’ll be real loud.”

Still trying to wrap her head around the fact he was really hers, Christy raised herself up on tiptoe and kissed him.

Bobby broke away and grabbed her hand. “Come on. Let’s go home.”

Home. The stuff from her apartment in California that her roommate had packed and shipped to her might not be arriving for another week, but Bobby was here now. He was all she really needed to make Pigeon Hollow her home.

Epilogue

TV Weekly Magazine

Smalltown Heat Wrap-up

Smalltown Heat
, the surprise hit that took reality show viewers by storm, wrapped up its season with a bang Sunday night when Producer Mandy Morris took home the Emmy Award for best prime-time reality television series. Morris verified the rumor that she is leaving the production company responsible for the show to “pursue personal interests”. Being that
Smalltown
star Jared Gordon was her date for the event, TV Weekly wonders if her personal business may lie back in Pigeon Hollow, where the show was filmed.

It is not surprising the series won the hearts and ratings of America with its flawless editing and a cast of characters that would make any producer drool. Handsome horseman Jared Gordon, his red-hot, pie-baking mama, Lois, Mac, the gruff but lovable diner owner, Sue Ann, the villain everyone loved to hate (who was reportedly last seen headlining at Naughty Ladies strip club in Atlanta) were all household names by the end of the run.

Ratings soared during the revelation of the unexpected romance that blossomed between Deputy Sheriff Bobby Barton and the show’s Associate Producer, Christy Dunne, only to be surpassed by the eventual leak of ex-major league pitcher Cole Ryan’s love child and the ensuing reunion with former high school love, Lizzie Barton, the deputy’s sister.

Industry analysts speculate the success of
Smalltown
will spur an influx of copycat shows by next season, leaving this reporter to wonder if any other cast will ever be able to fill the shoes of the folks of Pigeon Hollow.

About the Author

As an award-winning author of contemporary erotic romance in genres including military, cowboy, ménage and paranormal, Cat Johnson uses her computer so much she wore the letters off the keyboard within a year. She is known for her creative marketing and research practices. Consequently, Cat owns an entire collection of camouflage and western attire for book signings and a fair number of her consultants wear combat or cowboy boots for a living. In her real life, she’s been a marketing manager, professional harpist, bartender, tour guide, radio show host, Junior League president, sponsor of a bull-riding rodeo cowboy, wife and avid animal lover.

To learn more about Cat, please visit
www.catjohnson.net
. Send an email to Cat at
[email protected]
, or follow her on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/cat_johnson
.

Look for these titles by Cat Johnson

Now Available:

Red, Hot & Blue

Trey

Jack

Jimmy

Jared

Cole

Bobby

Rough Stock

Studs in Spurs

Unridden

Bucked

Ride

Hooked

Coming Soon:

Red, Hot & Blue

A Few Good Men

Everything is just right…until she turns his life upside down.

Jared

© 2011 Cat Johnson

Red, Hot & Blue, Book 4

It doesn’t take anything fancy to make Jared Gordon a happy man. A slice of his mama’s pie, a pretty girl, a well-bred horse. Life on the farm is just how he likes it. Simple. Until a big-city girl blows into town like a tornado hitting a trailer park.

Quintessentially small-town Pigeon Hollow has everything L.A. producer Mandy Morris needs for her new reality show. A smoldering deputy sheriff, a quirky diner owner and a horse farm complete with a hunky horseman. If her own instant attraction is any indication, Jared will have the female demographic glued to their sets.

Except the red-hot cowboy is cool to the idea of cameras in his face. And the harder she negotiates, the deeper he digs in…until their head-butting strikes sparks that fan a prairie fire of unexpected passion. She doesn’t usually mix business with pleasure, but as Pigeon Hollow’s charm works its magic, the youngest Gordon brother has Mandy rethinking many things.

Like happiness doesn’t have to end with the word “cut”.

Warning: Contains one hot shirtless cowboy taking a city girl for a roll in the hay…and a few other places.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Jared:

The babe in front of him was looking mighty warm in that jacket. He started to sweat in sympathy. She blew out a breath and ran a hand along the back of her neck and under her shoulder-length hair. Then she took the jacket off.

That
was enough to make a man stand up and take notice. Now she looked downright hot, enough to make Jared sweat for real and not from the air temperature.

Under that jacket, she was wearing nothing but a tight, low-cut, sleeveless top. Much better than the jacket, he decided, forcing his eyes up from her breasts and back to her face.

“We’ve got satellite television with all the channels, but I can tell you that a pretty stranger is much more entertaining.” He treated her to his most charming smile but it didn’t seem to work like it usually did on most women.

“I need to speak with the owner. Do you think you could stop whatever you are doing—” she looked around pointedly as if to let him know she didn’t think he was doing much of anything before she continued, “—and go and get her for me?”

What she’d said captured Jared’s attention even more than her sexy tank top had. He raised a brow. “Her? What makes you think the owner is a she?”

She let out an annoyed sounding sigh. “I do my research. I know this farm is registered with the small business bureau as being a woman-owned business.”

The question of why she was researching them remained unanswered. He was about to interrogate her further when the woman owner in question, his mama, stuck her head out of the kitchen door.

“Jared, honey. The computer crashed again. When you come in for lunch maybe you can figure out why that keeps happening.”

The pretty stranger glanced from his mother standing in the door of the house and then back to Jared. The look she shot him was full of suggestion. “Is that the owner?”

“Yup.” He started walking toward the kitchen, resigned to the fact that this nosy but hot female was bound to follow.

As anticipated, she practically jogged to keep up with him. “Are you and she…ah, you know? A couple?”

He stopped dead and turned in horror. “No.”

She shrugged. “It’s okay if you are, I’m just wondering.”

Jared shot her another unhappy glance and then scowled all the way to the back door at her lewd suggestion.

Okay, maybe if he took a moment to re-evaluate his mother the way a stranger might see her he wasn’t so shocked. Mama had been really, really young when she got married and started having babies. She’d just turned fifty, but she took good care of herself.

Dressed in cut-off jeans and flip-flops the way she was today, she looked easily in her early forties. Jared was in his late twenties. He knew there were some actresses in Hollywood who dated guys as much as twenty years younger, but still, this was his
mother
.

Jared shook his head. This woman came from a totally different world than he did. A world he could barely comprehend. Given that, he’d have to try not to judge her too harshly, particularly since he had kept his real identity from her. He also resolved to find out her damn name so he could stop thinking of her as this woman because he had a feeling he’d be thinking a lot about her.

Holding the screen door open for her, Jared waited for her to walk through first. Hell, he had been raised right. He knew how to act around a lady, even if she was likely some sort of salesman, uh, sales
person
. He would have introduced her to his mama too, but again he didn’t know the woman’s name. Luckily, she was one of those assertive business-like types and stepped right up without waiting for him. “Ms. Lois Gordon?”

His mama nodded.

“I’m Mandy Morris.” She smiled and stuck out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine. Jared never brings his girls home to meet me.” His mama smiled wide and shook her hand.

Mandy—cute name—glanced at him briefly and then turned back to his mother. “I’m sorry, Ms. Gordon. I think you’ve gotten the wrong impression. I’m not one of Jared’s
girls
. I’m actually here to see you. I have a business proposition for you. If you have some time now, I’d love to discuss it with you privately.”

Jared noticed she said the last word very pointedly, as if to let him know he was not welcome to participate in the discussion about whatever this business proposal was. He looked her over again, all decked in her city clothes. No way was she here to make an offer to buy the farm, or even a horse. She was probably trying to sell them ad space in the local yellow pages or something.

“Ms. Morris, I may be the owner on record for Gordon Equine, but my son runs the farm. All I do nowadays is handle the paperwork and the accounting and crash the computer.” Mama smiled and indicated the computer, phone and stack of papers on a desk set up in the corner of the kitchen.

She insisted on working in the kitchen rather than making one of the many other rooms into an office. Mama said it was because she usually was cooking or baking something at the same time she was working on the books. Multi-tasking, isn’t that what women called it?

Personally Jared preferred doing one thing at a time. Though glancing at Mandy again, he decided he could definitely get into doing some multi-tasking when it came to her.

“Your son?” Mandy looked understandably surprised at what Mama had just revealed. She also didn’t appear happy. She shot him quite a nasty look.

Now he was in for it.

The last thing she needs is a hero…

Off the Clock

© 2011 Donna Alward

First Responders, Book 1

Paramedic Gabe Brennan’s job is saving lives. When he witnesses an accident and rushes in to help, the victim brings back memories of the night that marked him forever. The night he almost couldn’t save his best friend, Brandon. Brandon’s sister is in the car. She’s pregnant. And his longing for her is just as sharp as ever.

Carly’s never been so glad to see a friendly face. Gabe’s gallant rescue—and the gentle kiss he bestows upon her at the hospital—resurrect feelings she buried long ago. Having just closed the book on a crumbling marriage, she’s not too keen on opening herself up to hurt again. Not even for the one man who’s always seemed to be there when she needed him most.

Gabe knows he shouldn’t be falling for Carly, especially since she insists she’s off the market. But the chemistry still simmering between them after all these years is no accident. Now all he has to do is convince her she belongs in the empty space he’s always held open for her. The one next to his heart…

Warnings: Contents—and paramedic hero—may be too hot to handle!

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Off the Clock:

Now he had a chance and he didn’t want to ruin it. She was too important for that, too special. He was smart enough to know that she was overwhelmed right now with adjusting to parenthood. Not just being a parent, but a single parent. Now it was Carly who needed time, and he’d give it to her. He stuck the spoon in his mouth, trying to divert his thoughts.

But it was no use. It was why he’d stayed away the last few times he’d mowed her grass. He knew what he wanted. And it was too important to push. Not now.

“What are you thinking, Mr. Serious?” Carly opened her eyes. “It looks as though you’re pondering the world’s problems.”

Not the world’s, just his. He needed to take it slowly. He’d known Carly for so long that the idea of wooing her seemed funny. It also gave him a kind of strange, jumped-up feeling. Some might call it anticipation. He wanted her so much he ached. But it wasn’t a matter of slaking his thirst for her and letting go. It wasn’t anticipation. Gabe called it being scared to death of screwing up.

“Not much.”

She laughed a little. “It has to be something. You need to lighten up.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“You could start with why you’ve been avoiding me.”

He put down his gelato cup. “I haven’t.”

Nathan’s eyes had opened and Carly rocked the carrier seat lightly with her foot. “Sure you have. You haven’t even stopped in to say hello lately.”

“I was busy,” he said, knowing it sounded like a paltry excuse. Maybe he had been avoiding her, but only because he wanted to be with her, not the opposite. But how could he possibly explain that without putting any pressure on her?