Slingin' Bull: Delta Jane Series, #2.5

By Kayce Lassiter

Slingin’ Bull brings you a rising star attorney, a country singer, a fairy godmother on a Harley, and a fairy godfather on a mechanical bull. Delta rides again to make a love match for attorney Ashtyn McCannon and Dayton Rawlins, a local country singer. Can Delta get Ashtyn past her baggage with musicians and Dayton past his mistrust of powerful women in time to save the lives of the unborn glimmers?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kayce Lassiter
• Release date: Sep 6, 2016
• ISBN: 9781536556445

Kayce Lassiter

Kayce writes snarky contemporary romance in a country setting—what she calls "Chick Lit in Cowgirl Boots" and she likes to throw in some magic now and then just for fun. Now she is adding nonfiction works to her catalogue, which include dysfunctional family stories—something she knows a heck of a lot about.Kayce is a consummate smart-alec, which shows in her humorous, heart-tugging stories about everyday people complete with broken hearts and all the flaws that come with being human. Some of her characters will make you laugh, others will touch your heart, but they will all take you to a world where dreams are possible, hearts can be mended, and people survive through the power of love.A second-generation native Arizonan, Kayce was born to deaf parents and grew up on a dairy farm. Living on a farm as a kid can be fun, but it can be lonely too. So she learned to dream, to imagine, to pretend—something she's never grown out of. She still lives in rural Arizona with her horse and dogs, including a nut-job named Riley whose claim to fame is having eaten an entire rattan chair in one afternoon.So let Kayce introduce you to her world of "Chick Lit in Cowgirl Boots" and seriously dysfunctional families. After all, what would a good story be without a little magic, or a crazy or two? That's what makes the world go round—right?

Book preview

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Resounding Praise

Books By Kayce

One Dog Too Many

Dedication

Acknowledgements

SLINGIN’ BULL

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

Excerpt...Loons of a Feather

KATIE’S ROCK

MIDNIGHT ON THE DOUBLE-B

LOONS OF A FEATHER

Note From The Author

Contact Kayce

Resounding Praise

for the works of

Kayce Lassiter

I especially enjoyed Kayce Lassiter's interesting twist on the Fairy Godmother...this FGM made me laugh right out loud. I highly recommend this book...

Glenna Copen, Reader

Kayce Lassiter has a snarky quality to her voice that produces quite a few chuckles. Be prepared to laugh and cry as Katie learns to navigate the choppy waters of life.  KATIE’S ROCK is a sparkling diamond that you are sure to fall in love with!

Romance Junkies

Hold on to your hats (or rather your helmets)! Kayce Lassiter has done something no one else has done...in her book, Loons of a Feather, she has gifted us with Delta Jane, the hippest, most color-coordinated, craziest fairy godmother the world has ever known.

D M Warner, Reader

Bust out those red cowboy boots because Delta Jane is at it again! We fell in love with this spunky, Harley-riding and always color coordinated fairy godmother in Midnight on the Double-B, and Kayce Lassiter has answered our begging for more Delta Jane... Kayce Lassiter blew my socks right off with Loons of a Feather and has me wanting more with the sneak peek she included for One Dog Too Many.

Jacqueline Noir/Page Princess, Reviewer

Books By Kayce

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Katie’s Rock

Delta Jane Series

Midnight on the Double-B

(short story)

Loons of a Feather

One Dog Too Many

Slingin Bull

(novella)

Mule-Headed

(coming Feb-2017)

Butterscotch Martini Shots

~ Roses & Rodeo ~

Slingin’ Bull

(novella)

~ BodyGuard ~

Witch’s Pass

(novella)

One Dog Too Many

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By

Kayce Lassiter

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The Booked Worm Publishing

Litchfield Park, Arizona

United States of America

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Cover by HayBurner Design

HayBurner Design Logo

This is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.  Any resemblance to actual business establishments, events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

Copyright © 2016 by Kayce Lassiter

Slingin’ Bull by Kayce Lassiter

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or part, scanned, photocopied, recorded, or distributed in any printed or electronic form, or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without express written permission of the publisher and the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Published by The Booked Worm Publishing.

First Edition:  February, 2016

Dedication

This book is dedicated to those die-hard fans who come to see me every year at the Chocolate Affaire in Glendale, Arizona.  I love seeing you time and time again, and can’t wait to hug you all again next year. Thank you for your support.  Huge hugs!

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Dustin, Heather, Lucas, Justin, Tyler, and Jay for encouraging me to talk to the voices in my head. I used to think I’d have to pay for your therapy one day, but now I’m convinced you’re all as crazy as I am.

As always, many thanks to my beloved Butterscotch Martini Girls, who help me navigate the bumpy waters of the publishing and promotion industry. Special thanks to Tina Gerow & Cheyenne McCray, who rip my manuscripts apart so I can put ‘em back together the right way. Thanks, girls, for always being right there with me, even when I’m on shaky ground. You rock!

SLINGIN’ BULL

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By

Kayce Lassiter

CHAPTER ONE

Ashtyn McCannon applied the brakes and came to a stop at a traffic light, as she pushed the button on her steering wheel to answer her cell phone.  Hello.

Ashtyn?

Hey, Daddy.  What’s up?

Aric McCannon was Ashtyn’s boss, as well as her father.  One of the most successful attorneys in Arizona, he had started his own law firm twelve years ago, about the time Ashtyn graduated from high school.  Less than a year ago, she had moved back from Los Angeles and gone to work as a junior partner in her father’s law firm.

Where are you? Her father had a heavy case load, so he never wasted time on niceties.

I’m in north Scottsdale, headed toward home.

Excellent. I need you to stop by the Slingin’ Bull on your way home.

She could hear the smile in her father’s voice.  The Slingin’ Bull?  Seriously?  That cowboy bar in Cave Creek?

Ashtyn had never been there before, but she’d heard it was a fun place. It would be a good chance to take a look around while she was there.

Yes.  The very one.

The pause in his request gave her the impression he was multi-tasking.

I need you to swing by and talk to the owner.  His name is Dayton Rawlins. I had a visit a few minutes ago from Marvin Fenn and his son, Lewis.  Seems the boy was badly injured last weekend on that mechanical bull they have in the bar.  Claims they don’t have the right safety equipment and were roughing him up on the bull.

She couldn’t imagine why any bar owner would want to take chances like that with a business, but she saw it happen all the time. The light changed to green and Ashtyn pressed on the gas pedal, accelerating through the intersection.  That bar does a booming business, and has a pretty good reputation with the locals.  It would sure be stupid for them to take that kind of risk, but I’ll swing by and check it out.

Yeah, I’m skeptical too.

He paused again, indicating he definitely was multi-tasking. Finally, he continued. The kid seemed awfully concerned about how much money he might make off a lawsuit. But Marvin’s a good friend, so I told him I’d look into it pro-bono and see if I thought there were solid enough grounds to warrant bringing action against the bar.

Okay. What do you need to know? Ashtyn knew Marvin Fenn. She’d never met his son, but rumor had it he was pretty much a loser. She knew her father well, and could tell by the tone of his voice that he was skeptical.

Just take a look around.  See if they look like they are taking proper safety precautions, posted warning signs, and the like.  Then see if you can talk to the owner and find out if they have a signed waiver.

Will do.  She maneuvered her car into the left turn lane so she could get on Highway 101, which would take her to Cave Creek Road.  Anything else?

She heard her father sigh heavily at the other end of the line. He was very supportive of family and friends, but had a low tolerance for nonsense. She smiled as she pictured him massaging his forehead with his fingers—something he always did when he was frustrated or felt his time was being wasted.

No.  That’s it.  I just need to get a sense for whether the kid has a legitimate complaint or he’s just looking to get rich off of his own stupidity.

All right.  Well, I’m driving now.  Can you text me his name so I don’t forget it?

Sure. Texting it now.

Okie dokie.  I’ll call you this evening after I’ve had a glass of wine.

Her father chuckled.  Perfect.  That’ll give me time to pour a second scotch.

Ashtyn laughed.  Talk to you tonight, Dad.  She pushed the button on her steering wheel again and disconnected the call.  Her phone chirped in her purse a moment later, indicating her father’s text had come through.

She’d moved to the Cave Creek area about six months ago, but hadn’t had a lot of free time to visit many of the local establishments.  She’d heard about the Slingin’ Bull from the locals, but hadn’t had a chance to check it out. 

When she first moved to the area, she’d stopped into another western bar and had the misfortune of meeting the lead singer in the band her first night there.  Clay had asked her out, and she’d fallen hard for him, only to have him cheat on her and leave her broken-hearted.

The creep had convinced her he was from a respectable family, was financially secure, and in love with her.  She’d allowed him to move in, and within two months, he was cheating on her and stealing her money.  Apparently, his family was rich, but they wouldn’t have anything to do with him beyond allowing him to draw money from a very modest trust account.

Turned out, Clay was the epitome of a starving artist who used women for a place to live.  Then when he got bored, he’d move on as soon as he found another woman who would fall for him and let him move in.

Jerk.

She’d invested four months in a jackass that didn’t deserve four minutes.

It was early in the day when she pulled into the Slingin’ Bull’s parking lot.  There were only two cars in the lot, and an enormous glittery purple Harley with flames painted on both sides of the tank, down the center of the seats, and up the padded sissy bar.

Nice bike.

Ashtyn pulled into a parking space just steps away from the front door and put the sun shade in the front window.  Even though it was winter and chilly outside, the sun in Arizona could still be intense, taking a toll on car upholstery. The sun would be down in a few minutes, but she was in the habit of always putting up the sun shade.

She got out of the car and slipped her purse strap over her shoulder as she stepped to the wooden sidewalk, where she was careful not to catch a heel in the cracks between the boards.

I really should think about keeping a pair of cowgirl boots in my trunk for occasions like this.

Ashtyn pulled the front door open and stepped into the dark bar, stopping inside the door to allow her eyes to adjust. When she could see well enough, she made her way to the bar and smiled as she waved at the bartender, who immediately headed in her direction.

Two people sat on the other side of the bar—a man in a dark pink felt cowboy hat who looked like the late actor, John Candy, and a woman in a deep purple shirt with long, curly jet-black hair and a purple zebra striped cowgirl hat on her head.

Holy bat crap.  She must be the owner of that monster bike out front.

Ashtyn rubbed her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle, and almost snorted, at the image that flashed through her mind of those two cruising down the road on that huge motorcycle.

What a sight that must be.

The bartender flipped her long, brown hair over her