Second Chance Ranch (Curves And Cowboys Book 1) Read online

  Second Chance Ranch

  BBW Western Romance

  (Curves and Cowboys #1)

  Mandy Morgan

  Copyright © 2019 by Mandy Morgan. All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.

  This publication contains sexually explicit material. All characters are 18 years or older and all sex is consensual.

  Table of Contents

  Summary

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Epilogue

  MORE Books

  About the Author

  Summary

  A short, sweet, and steamy second chance romance packed with curves and cowboys and Happily Ever After...

  Cassie

  I never thought I'd end up back in Fairview, but when my father called and asked for my help, I came running, and here I am...

  Twenty-six years old and starting all over again in my small hometown.

  Not much has changed here, including the way Holt Sutton sets me on fire, just like he did back in high school.

  He has me wishing that I'll be swept off my feet, like some kind of love-struck princess, but that only happens in fairytales, right?

  Holt

  I haven't seen Cassie Weaver since she and her mother packed up and disappeared overnight years back.

  She still looks good enough to eat and I'm not going to let her get away like I did in high school.

  My plan is to rope her right from the start this time around and make her mine, come Hell or high water, before another cowboy can move in on the curvy beauty I desire.

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  Prologue

  Holt

  “That girl sure looked like Cassie Weaver.”

  I glanced in the rearview mirror of my pickup as it bounced down the rutted country road. All I could see was a shadowy figure behind the wheel of a receding rental car.

  “You’re losing it, man. She’s been gone for years.”

  Matt just grunted and turned back to watching the world go by the truck window. He was already bored with the topic but just hearing that name had my mind spinning.

  Cassie Weaver. I hadn’t seen her since high school but I had no trouble picturing her at that moment. Those mouth-watering curves of hers were hard to forget. And those kissable lips!

  I’d had it bad for Cassie back in my senior year. But then she and her mother had up and left town one weekend. I’d never had the chance to find out just how soft those curves and lips were.

  “You really think it was her, man?”

  “Huh?” Matt jerked at the sound of my voice. He might be my best friend but he was no morning person. “Oh, yeah, that. I don’t know, Holt, but it sure looked like her to me.”

  My heart started pounding in my chest at the thought of Cassie being back in Fairview. And it wasn’t the only part of my body that was having a reaction.

  “Wouldn’t that be something? She’d be twenty-six or so now, right? It’s been almost ten years since she left…”

  Matt just shrugged and went back to dozing. He obviously wasn’t as excited by the prospect of being in the same room as Cassie again. Which was more than fine as far as I was concerned.

  I might have missed my shot at that curvy cutie back when I was a teenager. But I wasn’t going to make that mistake again if she really was in town.

  No, I’m done waiting around to see what happens. That didn’t work then and it won’t work now. It’s time to stop fantasizing about Cassie and start staking my claim on her.

  Chapter One

  Cassie

  I sat down on my father’s beat-up couch and saw that not much had changed since I'd been gone. The walls were still pale blue, and the shag carpet was the same.

  It had been ten years since I’d last been here. And I couldn't decide if seeing Daddy’s place stuck in a time warp was sad or comforting.

  An old country song I remembered from when I was a little girl started playing in the kitchen and I saw Daddy coming back into the living room with a couple of root beer floats.

  So, definitely more comforting than sad, I thought with a smile as I took the frosty mug that was offered to me.

  Daddy’s house and taste in music weren’t the only things that hadn’t changed. He still looked and smelled exactly the same, with his soft flannel shirt, scruffy face stubble, and Stetson cologne.

  It was kind of strange being here, what with the history between my parents, and how Mama and I had left in the first place.

  She’d suddenly decided she didn’t want to be a small town wife anymore when I was sixteen. We’d moved from Fairview to Dallas and left my father standing on the porch in tears.

  “I wasn’t sure if you’d come or not,” Daddy said as he sank slowly into his recliner, which also hadn’t changed. “I know we haven’t seen much of each other since you’ve been gone. And I’m sorry for that, Cass.”

  My eyes began to tear up. “It’s not your fault. The whole thing was tough on all of us.”

  “Well, the past is in the past. I’m just glad that you’re here now. I really appreciate you coming, honey.”

  Daddy had called me last week and told me he was having some health concerns. He wanted to know if I would be willing to come home and help him out for a while.

  Even though we hadn’t lived together since I was a teenager, Daddy and I were close when I was growing up, so I’d immediately agreed to move in with him and help.

  Of course, I was also still feeling guilty for just leaving with Mama like I had all those years ago, and this would make me feel like a good daughter again.

  Plus, I’d been miserable at my job in Dallas for quite some time. My boss was a jerk that had no interest in letting me climb the ranks because I was a woman.

  I figured I deserved a break and I had enough in my savings account to take some time off. My plan was to just relax and enjoy small town living again when I wasn’t helping to take care of Daddy.

  Mama thought I was a fool to go back to Fairview but she’d given me her blessing and told me to have fun in the middle of nowhere. Which was exactly what I was intending to do.

  There was just one cloud on my horizon. Holt Sutton. Daddy had told me that most of the kids I went to high school with had stayed in Fairview to start their own families.

  But not Holt. He was still single and working at one of the big ranches on the outskirts of town. I knew I should put him out of my mind but I couldn’t keep my heart from pounding when I thought of him.

  Holt had crossed my mind a lot over the years. Even when I was busy with finishing high school and then my college degree, I couldn’t help comparing every guy I dated to Holt Sutton.

  None of the men I’d been with since I’d moved to Dallas had even come close to making me swoon the way Holt had back when I was sixteen.

  He’d filled out his jeans to perfection and as far as I was concerned, Holt was the reason behind the saying “cowboy butts drive me nuts.”

  All the girls had wanted him in high school and who could blame them? Holt had rugged good looks, muscles that made the arms
of shirts bulge out, and a smile that could melt your panties right off.

  Fairview was a small town and chances were pretty good that I’d run into Holt at some point. Would he look as good now as he had back then? Would he even remember me?

  And would I be able to keep myself from drooling over him like the love-struck high schooler I was the last time I saw him?

  Holt

  “You almost took a hoof to the head on that one, Holt. It might be time to call it a day.”

  I glanced over at Matt and saw he was looking at me with raised eyebrows. It had to be obvious I wasn’t on my game right now. I’d never been that close to being hurt by a horse I was training.

  “Yeah, I reckon you’re right,” I said with a sigh before turning the filly loose and tossing the halter I’d been trying to put on her to the ground. “Let’s go to Sue’s. My treat.”

  After checking the ranch gates to make sure they were locked, Matt and I jumped into my pickup and headed back into town to Sue’s Tavern.

  I’d been distracted all day by thoughts of Cassie. And that was a problem. I had a herd of young horses to train for my boss. If he couldn’t sell them because they couldn’t be handled, I could lose my job.

  Matt must have been able to tell I was kicking myself in the ass. “Don’t be too hard on yourself, man,” he said as we pulled into the parking lot at Sue’s. “We all have off days.”

  “Not when you’re Holt Sutton and you have a reputation to maintain,” I muttered, shaking my head in disgust.

  “Man, let it go! We’ve got burgers and beers waiting on us in there.”

  Matt grinned and punched me in the shoulder. I couldn’t stay too upset around him. We’d been best friends since we were tots.

  I grinned back at him and we headed into Sue’s to claim our favorite booth in the back. It was quitting time on a Friday and the place was starting to fill up.

  Sue’s was your typical small town tavern and I let the familiar sights and smells comfort me. Matt and I nodded to the other patrons, most of them folks we’d known our whole lives.

  We placed our orders with Sue herself and she was back in no time with our frosty cold bottles of Bud. I took a long pull of mine and started to feel better at once.

  “I think those yearlings will bring in a good haul for the ranch this year,” Matt said. “There’s some good-looking horses in that herd, don’t you think?”

  I was just about to agree with him and tell him I’d actually picked out one of the best fillies for myself when movement at the door caught my eye. I glanced up and sucked in a sharp breath at what I saw.

  Cassie Weaver had just walked in and was hugging Sue as she picked up a carryout order at the counter. So, it was true. She was back!

  Her hair was longer than it had been the last time I’d seen her. But those lips and curves of hers were just as juicy. My heart started pounding as she gave Sue a sweet smile and picked up her to-go food.

  Cassie must have felt the heat of my gaze. She glanced up and I saw her baby blue eyes widen as she caught sight of me.

  I watched as her surprise turned to pleasure and her cheeks pinked up as pretty as could be. But before I could even start to think about making my move, the bell over the door jingled and she was gone.

  I shot out of my seat like my ass was on fire and told Matt I’d be right back. There was no way I was going to take this sitting down.

  My heart’s desire had just walked out the door and I was hot on her trail. I wasn’t about to let Cassie walk out of my life again.

  Chapter Two

  Cassie

  I’d told Daddy I would take care of dinner but my drive into Fairview had worn me out, so I’d settled on picking up some burgers in town.

  Sue’s Tavern had made me feel just as much at home as Daddy’s living room. It looked exactly the same and it was still full of country music, small-town folks, and the delicious aroma of comfort food cooking.

  “Cassie! What a sight for sore eyes you are, girl!”

  Sue wrapped me up in a warm smile and a big hug, and we chatted for a bit about why I was in town and my father’s declining health.

  “Well, you tell your Daddy that he can always count on me to keep him fed,” Sue said as I grabbed my order.

  “I sure will and…”

  My words drifted away as my skin began to tingle. I looked up and there he was. Holt Sutton. Staring at me with heat in his eyes.

  “I’ve got to go, Sue,” I mumbled as I felt my cheeks start to burn. I hadn’t been ready to face Holt yet. I was still wearing an old pair of jeans and a Longhorns sweatshirt, for God’s sake!

  I had to get out of there before Holt got too close and saw that I wasn’t wearing any makeup or my long-held desire for him burning in my eyes.

  I burst through the door and hurried over to my car. My heart felt like it might pound out of my chest. I was just fumbling my keys out of my pocket when I heard a deep voice calling my name.

  I froze and told myself to count to ten before turning around. The last thing I wanted to do was pass out cold from anxious excitement in the dusty parking lot of Sue’s Tavern.

  My grip on the carryout bags was vise-like when I managed to get my body to obey me and turn around to face my high school crush.

  Being this close to Holt after so many years took my breath away. He was every bit as gorgeous as he was then, if not more, if I was being honest with myself.

  I took in his ruggedly handsome face and well-muscled arms with hungry eyes. His skin was tan and his hazel eyes were sparkling.

  He looked every bit the part of the sexy ranch hand that he was and I soaked up his masculine scent once I was able to breathe again.

  “Hey, Cassie. Hope I didn’t scare you. I just couldn’t let you leave without saying hello.”

  “Hi, Holt,” I managed to squeak out. “How have you been?”

  His smile and rumbling voice had my thighs quivering. I was still in disbelief that I was standing here and talking to Holt Sutton. He’d been so popular in high school and seemed way out of my league.

  I’d been quiet and shy in those days, as I did my best to blend in and not call attention to the fact that I was bigger than most of the other girls in town.

  But I was older and more confident now. I’d grown to love the curves that filled out my size sixteen clothes. And I’d come to discover there were men out there that liked women with actual meat on their bones.

  “I’m doing a lot better now that I’m seeing you,” Holt said with that panty-melting smile of his still firmly in place. “You look amazing, Cass. Big city life must agree with you.”

  “Thanks. You look as good as always.” I felt my cheeks flame up again and hoped I didn’t sound like some love-struck idiot.

  “I heard you might be back in town and was hoping it was true. How do you feel about the two of us getting together tomorrow night and catching up?”

  “Like a date?” I asked before I could stop myself.

  My surprised pleasure at hearing Holt ask if we could spend some time alone together had completely broken down any mental filters I once had.

  His smile widened into a grin. “Yes, a date. So, what do you say? Meet you here tomorrow at six?”

  My mind was spinning and I felt more like I was going to pass out than ever, but I finally had a date with Holt Sutton!

  “I say wild horses wouldn’t keep me away.”

  Holt

  I sauntered back into Sue’s with a face-splitting grin and sat down across from Matt. My beer was still cold and I chugged the rest of it down.

  Matt raised an eyebrow at me. “What the hell was that all about?”

  “I just did something I should have done way back in high school, my friend.”

  “Ran out of Sue’s like a crazy man?”

  “I went and got myself a date with an angel.”

  “So, it was Cassie in that car this morning,” Matt said, looking pleased with being right. “I only saw her for a few secon
ds but from what I saw, she’s looking real good.”

  I felt my blood boil instantly and my hands curled into fists. Best friends or not, Matt needed to know from here on out, Cassie was none of his concern.

  “Hands off, okay?”

  My voice was low but tight and Matt got my drift. He put his hands up and shook his head. That was better. I’d just managed to make a start with Cassie. And nobody was going to get in my way.

  “Take it easy, Holt. I was just making small talk. What’s so special about this one? You’ve never had any trouble in the female department.”

  “All I can say is she’s not like all the other stuck-up rodeo queen types around here. Cassie’s different and she’s mine.”

  “Alright, man, I hear you loud and clear. So, you’re thinking about buying that blue roan filly, huh? She seems like a good fit for you.”

  I let Matt change the subject and we talked about horses and other ranch stuff as we finished up our meals. I’d cooled down by the time I dropped him off at his place and we were back to normal.

  As I drove down the winding back roads that would take me to my house on the other side of town, my thoughts drifted to Cassie.

  She’d been so sweet and innocent in high school. So different than the other girls in Fairview that would throw themselves at me.

  There was just something about her that made me want to hold her close and keep her safe. And there were those juicy curves of hers that set her apart, too.

  It wasn’t as if I’d saved myself for Cassie. I’d been with plenty of women. But none of them held a candle to her, if I was being honest with myself.

  I’d always felt as if something was missing with anyone I’d dated. And now I had a second chance to fix that, thanks to her coming back home.

  I had to make sure I played my cards right and not let her get away. I didn’t even know why she was here or how long she was staying.

  Truth be told, I didn’t care. As I pulled up in front of my house, I was already planning how to rope Cassie into being mine forever.