Title: Branded (The Cavanaugh Brothers, #1) Author: Laura Wright
Publication Date: June 3rd 2014 by Signet
ISBN: 978-0451464873
ASIN: B00GSBM4XG
Format: Paperback, eBook and Audiobook
Plot: In the small town of River Black, Texas, sits the Triple C—a working cattle ranch that sustains the town. But it also holds painful memories and shocking secrets for the Cavanaugh brothers...
When the Cavanaugh brothers return home for their father’s funeral, they discover unexpected evidence of the old man’s surprising double life—a son named Blue, who wants the Triple C Ranch as much as they do. The eldest son, Deacon, a wealthy businessman who couldn’t wait to leave the ranch and move on with his life, is looking to use his powerful connections to stop Blue at any cost. He never expected the ranch’s forewoman, Mackenzie Byrd, to get in his way.
Mac knows Deacon means to destroy the ranch and therefore destroy her livelihood. But as the two battle for control, their attraction builds. Now Deacon is faced with the choice of a lifetime: Take down the Triple C to feed his need for revenge, or embrace the love of the one person who has broken down every barrier to his heart.
☆✮ Excerpt ✮☆
Two hours later, hot and
sweaty, his stomach barely appeased by the two sandwiches he’d already eaten,
Deacon sat beside Mackenzie under the shade of a birch tree and watched her eat
her first sandwich. Her hat was resting on the grass, and the breeze off the
lake a few feet away was sending dark strands of her hair flying about her
beautiful, dirt-smudged face.
Hell, a body could get
used to this. Working hard alongside such a woman, his muscles being fed by
hours in the saddle and under the sun instead of in the sterile private gyms in
his office building and penthouse.
The thoughts moved
uninvited through his mind, and he turned to the picnic, which was set up on a
blue and white striped cloth on the grass, and grabbed a third sandwich, along
with a handful of chips and a bunch of grapes.
“You sure worked up an
appetite, cowboy,” Mac said, eyeing his plate.
“Thank God you had the
good sense to pack enough for--”
“An army?” she finished
good-naturedly. She grinned and crunched a slice of pickle.
Deacon laughed. “I was
going to say a country boy.”
She cocked her head,
pretended to study him. “Not sure you can call yourself that anymore.”
“I told you--”
“I know what you told
me, but I think you been out of the game too long.” She shrugged, then popped
the rest of the pickle in her mouth.
“There’s a statute of
limitations on calling yourself country?”
She nodded. “Yes. It’s
ten years.”
The flash of amusement
in her blue eyes made his heart flip over like a damn fish on the bank. Out of
its element and unable to breath. “That written down somewhere or did you just
make it up on the spot?”
“Oh, it’s common
knowledge,” she said, taking her half of a brownie she’d cut in two earlier.
He watched her eat it,
watched the moist chocolate slip between her teeth. “So, if I go back to the
house and ask Sam about this, you think he’ll back you up?”
“Oh, Sam will always
back me up.”
“There’s gotta be
someone I can ask.” He dropped his chin and gave her a serious look. “Someone
impartial. Someone who either isn’t in love with you, thinks you’re the
prettiest girl they’ve ever seen, or goes to bed dreaming of getting a kiss
like the one we had last night.”
Her cheeks flushed
instantly, and she dropped her gaze. “Hey, Deacon, about that. I’m sorry--”
“No, I didn’t mean
anything, Mac,” he started, feeling like an asshole for shooting off his mouth.
“I don’t know. Maybe we
should talk about it?”
“No. It was a mistake.
Right?” He tried to catch her eye, but she wasn’t having it. “You were drinking,
I was...there.”
She turned to face the
lake, her jaw tight. “Right.”
Shit. The last thing he
wanted was for her to feel uncomfortable. He didn’t like it. And he didn’t like
that she’d agreed with him about the make out session meaning nothing.
“Hey,” she said. “You
gonna eat the other half of that brownie?”
“You avoiding talking
about our kiss, Mackenzie?”
“Maybe.”
He pushed a hand through
his hair. Maybe he should avoid it, too. But his mouth opened anyway and he
started babbling on. “Truth? It was amazing, Mac. Shit. It was hottest
motherfucking kiss I’ve ever had. It deserves to be talked about. Might even
deserve to be commemorated on a plate or something.”
She groaned. “The
brownie, Deacon,” she said again, her eyes still trained on the dessert. “You
gonna eat it or what?”
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“If you’ll let me feed
it to you.”
Her head came up, and
her eyes narrowed. “You have issues.”
“That a yes?” He picked
up the brownie, smiled at her. “How bad do you want it, Mackenzie?”
She shook her head at
him. “Not bad enough to humiliate myself.”
“Come on now. Don’t get
all bent out of shape.” He leaned toward her and waved the brownie under her
nose, then swiped a bit of the frosting on her upper lip. “Every man knows that
women can’t resist chocolate.”
She licked it off
instantly. “Where did you hear that?”
“You.” He shrugged. “And
somewhere else, too. I’ll tell you if you open up and take a bite.” Deacon
broke off a piece of brownie and waited. When she let him slide it between her
lips, he felt his entire body tense.
“Lucky brownie,” he
whispered.
Her eyes cut to his.
They were worried and confused, and glazed with attraction like they’d been
last night.
Deacon knew he should
stop this, end this. It was so damn dangerous, playing around with her feelings,
and shit, his own. But they were so close, and her eyes were on his, and her
sweet, salty scent was pushing into his nostrils.
He bent down and
whispered, “I know I’ve never tasted anything better than your mouth. No
hotter, sweeter place in the world.”
☆✮ About the Author ✮☆
☆✮ Buy Links ✮☆
☆✮ Coming Soon! ✮☆
BROKEN
Cavanaugh
Brothers, #2
Publisher:
Signet
ASIN: B00ISEF68G
Release Date: October 7, 2014
The Cavanaugh brothers left behind
River Black, Texas, long ago. But after their father dies, bequeathing them the
Triple C, a cattle ranch that sustains their small town, they return—and
confront the painful memories of their childhood home and the truth about their
sister’s murder…
For years, James Cavanaugh has traveled the world as a horse whisperer, but even the millions he’s earned hasn’t healed the pain he hides behind his stoic exterior. Forced to tackle old demons at the ranch, James throws himself into work to avoid his true feelings. Until he meets a woman who shakes the foundations of his well-built walls…
Sheridan O’Neil’s quiet confidence has served her well, except when it comes to romance. Tired of rejection, she’s ready to swear off men. But after being rescued from a horse stampede by the most beautiful cowboy she’s ever met, her resolve wavers. Only, as Sheridan uncovers James’s belief that no woman is safe with him, she wonders if such a wounded man could ever give in to love, or if some hearts are too broken to be healed…
For years, James Cavanaugh has traveled the world as a horse whisperer, but even the millions he’s earned hasn’t healed the pain he hides behind his stoic exterior. Forced to tackle old demons at the ranch, James throws himself into work to avoid his true feelings. Until he meets a woman who shakes the foundations of his well-built walls…
Sheridan O’Neil’s quiet confidence has served her well, except when it comes to romance. Tired of rejection, she’s ready to swear off men. But after being rescued from a horse stampede by the most beautiful cowboy she’s ever met, her resolve wavers. Only, as Sheridan uncovers James’s belief that no woman is safe with him, she wonders if such a wounded man could ever give in to love, or if some hearts are too broken to be healed…
☆✮ Pre-order Now!
☆✮ Giveaway! ✮☆
Grand Prize: $10.00
gift card to Amazon & paperback of
BRANDED (International
winner will get gift card & eBook)
Runner-up: 1 runner-up will receive an eBook of BRANDED
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