The Cowboy's Lullaby

By Judy Duarte

Conservative businessman Jake Braddock had a heart that was all cowboy and closely guarded. Following his stepmother's death, he learned he'd be sharing custody of his five–year–old half sister with a sexy dancer not his notion of the ideal mummy.

Chloe Haskell had barely begun playing mother to little Brianna when she found herself at odds with stuffy Jake, who seemed determined to fight her at every turn. But the long–legged beauty soon got under the Texan's skin in more ways than he cared to admit. Now Jake had to decide whether he was ready to let Chloe into his heart and help him build the family he'd always wanted .

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: Jul 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781460803981

Judy Duarte

Judy always loved reading romances, but never thought of herself as a writer. "English was my least favorite subject in school, but I was always a storyteller," she admits. "Growing up, I was the kid in the neighborhood who decided what roles we would play and the pretend situation were in." As a single mom with four children, Judy returned to school and graduated from the University of California at Irvine with a degree in social ecology. The new direction helped her confidence grow, and when a hero she could believe in came into her real life, she was even more inspired. Determined to do something about her love of writing, Judy joined Romance Writers of America and met her two critique partners. The trio have worked together and encouraged each other ever since. Judy likes to take ordinary characters and put them in emotionally compelling situations that make them grow. "It takes some of the stubborn and hurting characters a while to learn there is always a way out," Judy maintains, "but when they realize their options, there's no stopping them." Her unpublished stories won not only the coveted Emily and Orange Rose Awards, but also earned her the status of a double Golden Heart finalist in 2001. Her first book, Cowboy Courage, sold to the Silhouette Special Edition line, where she seems to have found her niche. "I credit a large part of my success to my critique partners, Crystal Green and Sheri WhiteFeather, who also write for Silhouette," she says. On those days when a stubborn hero and a headstrong heroine claim her undivided attention, she and her family are thankful for fast food, pizza delivery, and video games. When she's not at the keyboard or in a Walter-Mitty-type world, she enjoys traveling, romantic evenings with her personal hero, and playing board games with her kids. Write to Judy at P.O. Box 498, San Luis Rey, CA 92068.