The Musical Cowgirl: Bear Creek Rodeo

By Kirsten Osbourne

Brittany Kelly is on the fast-track to Nashville and beyond. Partnering with her identical sisters, the three of them are the opening act for the Bear Creek Rodeo, and they are starting to get bookings at the more popular places in town. Everything seems to be going just right for her, and she has no intention of letting some man come along and change her life's course. But then she meets Matt and his beautiful little niece, Olivia.
Matt Sullivan is more than a little overwhelmed, inheriting the sprawling ranch where he grew up and taking custody of his five-year-old niece all at the same time. He takes one look at Brittany, and he knows she has to be his. The fact that she and Olivia bond immediately is just icing on the cake as far as he is concerned.
Will he be able to convince her that he cares about her for all the right reasons? Or will she spend her whole life wondering what could have been?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Unlimited Dreams
• Release date: Feb 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393724520

Book preview

Chapter One

Brittany flexed her fingers, feeling like she’d signed her name at least thirty million times in the past hour. Of course, she knew she and her sisters hadn’t purchased that many of their CDs to autograph and sell, but it felt like it.

She and her sisters were identical triplets, and worse than that, they lived together and had a musical group together. It was like they were going to be known as the identical triplets forever. It made her crazy.

She pushed her glasses—that she didn’t need but set her apart—up farther on her nose and sighed. I’m hungry.

Stephanie—the youngest and the shyest—said, I have a huge stack waiting for you two. I’ll run and get food while you two keep signing!

Brittany groaned as she reached for another CD and scrawled her name on it. Emily—the middle sister if triplets had a middle sister—leaned over as soon as Stephanie was gone. They finally had a lull in the crowd trying to buy their CDs. I have a secret that I just have to share with you!

Emily had spent a lot of time for the past couple of days hanging out with some guy, and Brittany was immediately nervous that her sister was going to run off and marry him, leaving her and Stephanie high and dry. Emily was the lead singer of their musical group, and they simply couldn’t do it without her. Brittany immediately voiced her concerns, but Emily just shook her head.

Emily said something about the guy that Brittany completely blocked out, and then she heard, The guy who runs Rebel’s Saloon came and talked to me. They need an act for a week from Saturday, and we’re booked.

Brittany felt for a moment as if the world was closing in on her. Rebel’s Saloon was one of the hottest venues for country music in all of Houston. In all of Texas. She wanted to get up and dance with excitement. "Rebel’s Saloon? Are you kidding me?"

Emily gave her a few more details, and Brittany just sat there in shock for a moment. I never dreamed . . . Rebel’s Saloon! She screamed for a second. She had needed to get that out of her system.

Stephanie was back a few seconds later.

I want to tell her!

Then tell her! Emily had a ridiculous grin on her face, and Brittany frowned, knowing that she was probably wearing the same grin. She loved her sisters, but she hated sharing the same face.

Guess what we’re doing a week from Saturday? Brittany said, concentrating on Stephanie’s face. She was so excited to let her sister know what they were doing. Their career was being made both by this rodeo and Rebel’s Saloon. This rodeo had been amazing for them so far. Of course, as the opening act, it should have been.

By the look on your faces, I’d say the Grand Ole Opry. Tell me. Stephanie stood holding their food—fair food, which wasn’t a favorite for Brittany or Stephanie, but Emily would gobble it up like there was no tomorrow.

Rebel’s Saloon.

Stephanie’s jaw dropped, and she looked like she was torn between wanting to vomit and wanting to do a celebratory dance. "Are you kidding me?"

Emily laughed and responded to her.

Do you mean to tell me that ‘Lipstick on my Jeans’ is going to be played at Rebel’s Saloon? My song? Stephanie was still looking shocked.

"Our song." Brittany refused to give her all of the credit. Stephanie wrote the lyrics, but they weren’t really songs until Brittany added the music to them. Strangely enough, Brittany wasn’t the lead singer, but she was still the most musical of the three. She could pick up any instrument and play it by ear.

She stood and hugged her sisters close. This was their dream, and it was finally coming true for them.

And then Emily’s man, Chris, was there, trying to introduce them to his friend. Matt. Brittany looked at the man and felt as if her heart was beating a million times per minute. Her legs felt a little weak, and she was sure she let out a gasp, but that would have been silly . . . but she was sure she did anyway.

Matt looked confused as he looked at the three of them. Why didn’t you tell me they were identical triplets?

Brittany stepped closer to him. Would it be strange if I touched him? I’m glad he didn’t. It’s fun surprising people. But she was glad her glasses were firmly in place. He’d never have trouble telling her from her sisters.

His eyes met hers, and she felt it all the way down to her toes. What kind of magic did this man practice to have such power over her? I guess it would be sometimes. Chris gave me one of your CDs. I really love your music.

Brittany couldn’t have been happier at that moment. My sister Stephanie and I wrote all the songs.

I’m very impressed, and you won’t hear me say that often. Matt was only looking at her, and she appreciated that.

Brittany could hear her sisters whispering behind her, but she didn’t care. The only person she had eyes—or ears—for was Matt. Tell me about yourself.

Matt grinned. Well, I’m a former bull rider, but now I’m ranching. I know Chris from the rodeo circuit. I guess we run competing ranches now, but we both felt a lot more competitive when we were bull riding against each other.

Do you like ranching?

Matt shrugged. I always thought my brother would run the ranch, but he and his wife were killed in a car wreck a few months back. I’m raising his daughter now. It’s not what I expected from life.

I’m so sorry for your loss. How old is your niece? Her heart went out to him, raising a child and living a life he’d never wanted.

She’s five. She’s a sweetheart, but I have no idea what to do with a five-year-old girl.

"Maybe I could help you. I used to be a five-year-old girl, and so did both of my sisters."

Probably at the same time even . . .

Definitely. Brittany smiled. You just let me know when and where you need me, and I’ll do what I can to help. Wednesdays are the only days I’m booked during the summer. And she hoped she wouldn’t be doing any of the music lessons she taught once school started up. Hopefully by then their careers would be launched.

She vaguely heard someone suggest they all go out after the vendor fair—which was connected to the Bear Creek Rodeo—closed, and her heart jumped. She wanted to spend more time with Matt. She wasn’t sure what it was that was so terribly special about him, but she wanted to find out. She didn’t pay attention to much, but when the guys started carrying some of the boxes of CDs to the car, she grabbed one, too. Looking at Emily, she said, We need to keep them around!

Once the CDs were stowed in the car she shared with her sisters, they all piled into Chris’s truck, Emily in the front seat with Chris, and Brittany sat in the back with Matt.

Brittany turned to Matt as soon as she was buckled,