Cowboy’s Single Mom: Collier Cowboy Camp, #3

By Leslie North

A broken heart and a broken cowboy collide.. 

 

Lucas Meyer knows his days as a rodeo star are slipping away, but he's holding on to his glory days through the aches and pains. When his rodeo buddy, Remington, enlists him to help out at his family's cowboy camp for the summer, Lucas seizes the opportunity. The camp's resident physical therapist, Georgia Nathan, might hold the key to Lucas's future in the rodeo – unless she becomes the one thing that holds him back. Georgia is drop-dead gorgeous, and the more time he spends with Georgia, the more his life on the rodeo circuit seems to lose its appeal…

 

But single mom Georgia has had it with handsome cowboys—and Lucas is certainly easy on the eyes. After leaving her abusive husband, she wants nothing to do with men, even this sexy cowboy. But it's hard to avoid Lucas when he's living right on top of her, and it's even harder to avoid how her heart speeds up when he's near. Though she tries to put up a chilly façade, it's getting more and more difficult when he makes her so hot and bothered. And, oh my, his kisses… 

 

Georgia is still reeling from her break up, but what if Lucas could be the one who heals her broken heart?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Relay Publishing
• Release date: Feb 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215156148

Book preview

1

Lucas Meyer put his sturdy old pickup truck into park and took a slow look around at the place where he’d be spending the next few months. The Collier ranch was a sizable piece of property—half a dozen different buildings stretched out over a huge, open piece of land. There was a practice ring smack dab in the center of it, with a genuine regulation electronic scoreboard casting a long shadow over one side. This late in the day, it looked like most of the activity had died down, though he heard a few kids laughing somewhere and saw a couple of teenagers carrying plastic bins towards a shed.

Remington was nowhere in sight. Lucas checked the time on his phone. Okay, so he was a little early. Make that a lot early, but he’d always been more comfortable giving himself a buffer, making sure that he’d never be late, even if he ran into problems along the way. He always got where he was supposed to be, when he was supposed to be there—whether that was on the back of a bull or in his truck. That’s what it meant to be a professional.

Remington was supposed to show Lucas around the ranch, just to give him an unofficial tour of where he’d be crashing for the next few months while he was here, and where he’d be running the class that Remington had all but begged him to come teach. A special class for some more advanced riding students who’d been training for the rodeo and were starting to think seriously of going pro. And he knew it certainly wouldn’t hurt business to have a rider of his reputation agreeing to teach a class here.

Lucas climbed out of the truck and hauled his bag out of the back, ignoring the faint aches and pains twinging in his joints. It was just a little stiffness—nothing serious. He’d just been sitting in a car too long, that was all. He’d be back at one hundred percent as soon as he got a place to drop his things, a long hot shower, and a hot meal. Though for Lucas, that usually meant whatever he could shove in the microwave.

There was a shy, Mr. Meyer? behind him, and Lucas turned to see a young man heading over to him. He looked maybe eighteen, with warm brown eyes and an expression of eager shyness that Lucas recognized right away. He saw it every night after a rodeo, when the fans started circling to ask for an autograph or a selfie. Remington got caught up at the main house, so he asked me to show you around. My name’s Joaquin, he said, holding out his hand.

Great to meet you, Joaquin, Lucas said, automatically flipping the internal switch to Lucas Meyer, Rodeo Star Extraordinaire, and giving the kid’s hand a firm, professional shake.

Here, let me get that. Before he could object, Joaquin grabbed his bag. Remington said you’re going to be staying in the apartment over Dr. Nathan’s clinic. It’s just this way. So, you’re really going to be giving lessons here? the kid gushed as he started leading the way.

Yeah, Remington asked me to give a few pointers to some of the riders here. Lucas still wasn’t sure why the hell he’d agreed. He wasn’t really what anyone would call the teaching type. Or the kid-friendly type, though Remington had assured him that his class would just be for older students. The ones who at least already knew which was the ass end of a horse. He could grit his teeth and pull out the charming and personable celebrity mode for long enough to glad-hand some fans, but when it came to more extended interactions, Lucas had never been good around kids. Or teenagers. Basically, just people in general, Lucas admitted to himself. This might not have been the smartest decision he’d ever made. In fact, it probably wouldn’t even break the top ten.

Everyone’s so pumped about it. We’ve already got a waiting list for your class, you know, Joaquin said enthusiastically as he led Lucas through the ranch. First time that’s ever happened. Over there’s the bunkhouse, by the way, he added, nodding to a large, freshly painted building. They remodeled it back when Remington first came here, made it all state-of-the-art. Most of your students will be staying there. And Dr. Nathan’s back here. She took over one of the barns when she started working here. Remington had this whole place completely overhauled and renovated in the last year. You should’ve seen Dr. Nathan’s cottage before they got to it. There was this spider that had set up a nest in one of the bathrooms—thing was the size of a softball. It took Sadie and me almost an hour to get it outside. Anyway, her clinic and all that are towards the back here.

Towards the back was a bit of an understatement. The barn they were heading for was a good bit away from the main part of the ranch, far enough that Lucas was grateful the kid was carrying his bag after all. He hadn’t expected the size of this operation. From what Lucas had heard, it had just been some small-time summer camp for years—though of course, it stood to reason that when Remington came back to start running things after his father’s death, he’d have brought it up to a whole new level. That was just how Remington was. He was the go big or go home type—though since this was his home, maybe it was more like "go home and then go big." From the buzz Lucas was hearing on the rodeo circuit, the place was now cutting edge, and they were starting to pull in people from several states away—and not just students, either. There were more than a few professional riders who had come to be treated by this Dr. Nathan. She’d been a not-quite-secret secret on the circuit for a while now after she’d performed a minor miracle on a friend’s leg a little while back. Though, as far as Lucas was concerned, it was a damned waste of a miracle.

Taison Butler had been one of the toughest, boldest bull riders Lucas had ever known—the latest in a downright epic line of renowned Butler bull riders and one of the few riders out there who’d been real competition. Lucas had been shocked when he’d heard Taison had retired from the rodeo and settled down in this nothing little town after falling ass over boots in love with a local vet. He’d even gotten into the animal business himself, taking over a local organization that rescued dogs from kill shelters and found them homes. Lucas had swung by to visit Taison on his way into town. He’d seemed happy enough in his little ranch house, with his admittedly super-hot fiancée, and what had appeared to be an entire zoo’s worth of critters roaming around the property. But it was a far cry from being on the back of a bucking bull while packed stands full of people screamed your name.

Lucas was grateful, not for the first time, that he wasn’t built that soft. It took determination, guts, and a helluva tough hide to make it as a rodeo star. Of course, he knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that he’d have to leave the rodeo someday. It wasn’t exactly a career with long-term prospects, but his retirement was still a long way off—and he wasn’t going to waste his time thinking about it. And not just because he had no idea what he’d do when he left.

Joaquin dug his phone out of his pocket when it chirped at him and shook his head. Sorry, man, I have to get going. I texted Remington to let him know you’re here, though, and he should be on his way over any minute.

Great. Thanks, Joaquin. Lucas turned back on the show-ready charm as he took his bag from the young man, flashing him a practiced smile. I’ll just wait here for Remington.

Sure thing. See you around, man! The teen waved once more as he jogged off, back in the direction they’d come from. Lucas swung his bag over his shoulder, shifting his stance a little. Over the last year, he’d started noticing a little stiffness if he stood or sat too long in one position. Nothing too serious, but he wasn’t inclined to stand around stiffening up while he waited for whenever Remington decided to show up. He started to wander, just to scope the place out a little more, drifting into the barn to check out the facilities. They’d clearly spared no expense getting this place up and running.

Lucas heard a quiet voice coming from further inside and headed over to investigate.

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting to find, but it certainly wasn’t a little girl with long hair and sad, grey eyes. He wasn’t any good with guessing kids’ ages—there was the phase where they were in diapers and drooling on everything, and then at some point they started walking and talking, and eventually they had to go to school, and a while after that they wanted to borrow the car and sneak beer and all. This one…he’d say maybe seven? She was a little slip of a thing, small enough that he was tempted to guess younger, but there was something in her eyes that made him rethink.

She was talking to a horse that was penned up in a riding ring, a glossy lady with a pale gold coat with a white-blonde mane and tail. The kid’s voice was too low for Lucas to hear what she was saying, but the horse whickered and watched her as if it understood every word. As Lucas approached, the horse went abruptly still, her ears going flat. Then she whinnied and reared back, dancing along the line of the fence, as if she were trying to edge her way in between him and the girl.

Whoa. Hey there, little lady. Lucas put up a hand, palm out, to calm the horse, while digging a butterscotch out of his pocket. It was a little melted, but he’d yet to meet a horse that didn’t love them. Here you go.

The horse edged cautiously towards him, her ears still back, but after a tentative sniff she took the candy delicately from his hand. See? I’m not a bad guy. Lucas leaned on the railing of the riding pen to pat the horse’s neck. What’s your name?

Buttercup, the little girl answered. The word was so quiet, he almost didn’t hear it.

That so? Hey, Buttercup. I think I had a horse like you once upon a time. One of the smartest horses I ever knew, but he loved to give everyone a hard time, just so they knew who was in charge.

What was his name? the girl asked, her voice still barely above a whisper.

Um. Lucas hesitated. He’d named that horse Asshole, and it had fit, but he was pretty sure you weren’t supposed to say that sort of thing to kids. He wracked his brain for an inoffensive alternative. Kevin.

Skepticism flickered across the girl’s face. Kevin?

Yeah, Kevin, he said, a little defensively. Why did she sound so skeptical? He could have named the horse Kevin. It’s a great name for a horse.

The girl shook her head. You’re not supposed to give them name names. You’re supposed to name them what they are. On the inside.

Lucas shifted awkwardly, feeling like he’d dropped the reins on this particular conversation. Which wasn’t exactly encouraging. If he couldn’t get through a single exchange with a kid like this, how the hell was he supposed to deal with a whole class full of them? Lucas cleared his throat and turned on the charm, giving the little girl the reliably megawatt smile he usually saved for the camera. What’s your name, then, little girl?

The girl shied back, watching him warily. Something about that somber grey gaze was particularly piercing. Lucas fought the impulse to squirm under her stare, holding on to his tried-and-true rodeo persona. My name’s Lucas. Lucas Meyer. Maybe you’ve heard of me.

She shook her head, her sad, serious eyes still regarding him uneasily.

Really? I mean, that’s okay, Lucas adjusted quickly—or tried to. He tended to have better luck adjusting to a bucking bull than unexpected shifts in conversation. I’m just… Kind of a big deal. But even he knew it would be obnoxious to say that, although it did happen to be the truth. If he was resorting to boasting to a kid he’d met less than five minutes ago, then he really was pathetic. "It’s fine. I’m just here for the spring to teach a class—fuck. Lucas tried to take a step towards her, but his foot caught on a post and he tripped, nearly falling on his face. He managed to catch himself on the railing at the last possible second. It wrenched his shoulder a little, but that still beat a full-on face-plant. I didn’t say that either," he said quickly, glancing at the little girl. He knew, even as the words left his mouth, that it was already a lost cause.

Yes, you did, she said solemnly.

He nodded, accepting defeat on that front. Okay, I did. Sorry. I’m not too great with kids.

"I’m not a kid." The girl’s voice was a little louder now.

Yeah, of course you are. He waved a hand at her. Look at you—you’re short. You go to school. You can’t drive. You probably still have all your kid teeth.

Baby teeth. Was he imagining things, or was there actually the hint of a smile as she corrected him?

I really don’t know; I don’t have any kids. But you’re definitely one. Lucas ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. Why the hell did I even agree to this? I’m probably going to screw all this up.

She was silent for a long moment, long enough that he wondered if the conversation was over, and he should just give up on the whole damn thing and look for Remington. Then the girl said, I used to take riding lessons.

‘Used to?’ Lucas repeated, relieved that she’d redirected the conversation.

She nodded and leaned against the railing, and it looked as if she was trying to tuck into herself a little. The horse padded over to her, touching its soft nose to her hair with a gentle snuffling sound. I had to stop. Then we moved here, and I…

Her voice faded as a woman walked in. Lucas glanced over—and then stopped and stared. He probably should have moved, or said something, or at least stopped staring, but none of that occurred to him for at least a solid minute as he took in possibly the most gorgeous woman he’d ever seen in his entire life.

Georgia was running