Roping Cupid

By Shae Shannon

      Finally home after finishing medical school, the last thing Harley Brannon expects is to come face to face with the part of her past that wrote her destiny. 

      Professional rodeo champion Tim Kindle has chased buckle bunnies from one rodeo to the next, never staying in one place long enough to unpack his suitcase.

      A trip back to his hometown and an encounter with the girl that has haunted his dreams since their High School Valentine's Day dance gives him another chance to rewrite history.  Can he rope Cupid and win the only woman he's ever loved?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shae Shannon
• Release date: Feb 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386945062

Book preview

Dedication

Never stop believing in true love, or your own fairy tale.  Write your own story in the stars and love with all you have.  Happy Valentine’s Day!

Chapter One

Harley Brannon and her father, Frank, turned onto the main road that led into the little town of Heart’s Peak, Missouri. With calving season coming up, they desperately needed to stock up on supplies to get them through the overly busy time of year. It was the only time Harley took vacation from her job as the town’s family physician and left any emergencies in the hands of her apprentice, Steven Needles. Thankfully the town didn’t have many rare illnesses, and the med student could handle the regular births and routine check-ups that kept them in business.

Frank slowed as he drove into the one-horse town, giving Harley a chance to take in the beauty of the historical buildings and cobblestone side streets. She had always loved this place, and throughout medical school she knew she would return to live and practice here for the rest of her life. She was glad to be home.

As they passed the only diner in town and the gas station, something up ahead caught her attention. What is that?

I don’t know. I can’t tell from here. Harley squinted to try to make out the oddly-shaped object that was slowly moving down the road toward the Burger Barn. The closer they got, the more it came into view.

What the hell are those two jackasses doing? The jackasses in question were none other than Tim Kindle and Roger Jugger, who were straddling horses and riding down Main Street, turning in to the drive-thru lane.

You have got to be kidding me. Seeing two grown men taking a mid-day stroll via horseback through the drive through was a bit surprising for even her, and she had seen a lot of weird stuff in her line of work.

The way they wobbled in their saddles was a good inclination that their choice of ride was due to the level of alcohol coursing through their veins.  She had to give them props; at least they weren’t stupid enough to drive. On a positive note, the horses were the family work horses and could get home by themselves with just a couple words and a nudge. Harley giggled. 

There’s beer sticking out of the saddlebags.  Redneck ingenuity at its finest.

Frank shook his head. We can’t leave them wandering through town like that. George and Harold would skin them alive if they caught ‘em, and that damn Barney Fife sheriff is on duty today. He will haul ‘em in for good, and charge highway robbery for George and Harold to get the damn horses out of impound.

Impound? They’re horses, Daddy. They don’t put animals there; they turn them over to animal control.

Not that dipshit. He will load them up and take them home until he gets ransom. I saw him do it with ol’ Ted Angle’s cow that got loose last winter. Held it hostage until Ted forked out fifteen hundred bucks. He said it was to cover the ‘danger to the town’ and ‘livestock’ violations. It was a total crock of shit, is what it was.

Are you kidding me? I don’t know how the hell that guy got voted in, but I swear this better be the only term he wins. I will run myself just to get rid of the crook.

You have my vote, short stack.

Harley smiled at him, loving the enduring term he had called her since she was a baby. Her dad was still the most important man in her life, and the most handsome in the world in her eyes. From his distinguished grey-peppered hair to the piercing aqua eyes, it was no wonder that every eligible woman in town had tried to bake and cook her way into his heart.

Unfortunately for them, he hadn’t dated since her mother had left town with the farm hand eighteen years ago, when Harley had been twelve. He had been madly in love with her, and her desertion had left him with the biggest broken heart anyone had ever seen.

Harley began to laugh out loud.  Her dad looked at her like she was off her rocker.  What’s so funny?

I’m just wondering what the charges would be- Operating an animal under the influence?  Drunk in the saddle?  The last time I checked, it’s still legal to ride your horse to town, so the only charge I can think of is the horse getting sited for being under the influence of a jackass.

Frank shook his head, his smile reaching his eyes.  I’d hate to be the judge.

Frank stopped alongside the curb and put it in park. You feel like riding? I’ll take these two clowns home if you’ll get the animals back to the farm. I have a fine of my own planed for these two.

Don’t keep Mr. Rodeo Star from winning his golden buckles, Dad, you know how important that is. The snarkiness in her voice rattled through the cab of the truck. The last thing on this earth she wanted to do was help the one man who had plagued her heart since high school. How could fate be so damn mean?

All through school, Harley had been the gawky, lanky tomboy whom no one gave a second glance.

She was raised by her dad, so she was never in to fashion or makeup and her hair was either in a pony tail or pulled up