Blurb
When
Beauty Wants A Baby
Championship
bull breeder and former Texas beauty queen Delaney McCall was having a heck of
a time finding a daddy for the baby she craved. A failed marriage left her with
no desire for another husband, but finding the right stud to satisfy her needs
presents a bigger problem that she could have imagined.
And
The Bullrider Wants Beauty
After
hanging up his spurs, bull rider Zac McDaniel wants nothing more than to
fulfill Delaney's dream of having a family. After all, his best friend's ex has
been his fantasy for years. Zac, however, has no desire to be seen as just a
means to an end. And when Zac insists on doing things the "old
fashioned" way, their passion explodes like a bull out of the chute…
Some
Bucking Is Bound To Happen
While
insisting it's all just a passing fancy, the more Delaney sees the softer side
of the rough and tumble cowboy, the harder it is to keep her emotions
corralled. Zac, meanwhile, is more determined than ever to prove he's what she
really needs, and will do whatever it takes to tear down the mile high fence
around her heart…
Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2016/01/beauty-and-bull-rider-hotel-rodeo-3-by.html
Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/152536-hotel-rodeo
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beauty-and-the-bull-rider-victoria-vane/1122187178?ean=9781601834126
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Victoria_Vane_
Beauty_and_the_Bull_Rider?id=ciDzCQAAQBAJ
Beauty_and_the_Bull_Rider?id=ciDzCQAAQBAJ
Author Info
Victoria Vane is an award
winning author of smart and sexy romance. Her collective works of fiction range
from historical to contemporary settings and include everything from wild
comedic romps to emotionally compelling erotic romance. Victoria is the founder
of the Goodreads Romantic Historical Fiction Lovers and the Romantic Historical
Lovers book review blogs.
Website: http://www.victoriavane.com/
Rafflecopter Giveaway (Texas West
Wallet and Handbag Set)
Excerpt:
CHAPTER
ONE
National
Bull Riding Championship, Las Vegas
Zac
McDaniel entered the bull pens cursing his damned bad luck. He didn’t need a
doc or x-rays to tell him he’d broken his wrist. The grinding of bones was a
sure enough sign even if the pain hadn’t already clued him in. He was used to
pain though. After fifteen years of rodeo, the last ten dedicated strictly to
bulls, he’d experienced his fair share of it. Twelve broken bones—thirteen if
you counted the wrist— three concussions, and numerous sprains and dislocations
that didn’t matter ’cause he’d ridden through most of ’em, still hadn’t knocked
any sense into him.
Then
again, he was a hardheaded son of a bitch.
Whether he
was harder-headed than the bull he’d drawn for his final ride was yet to be
determined. Super Spin Cycle was one of the rankest bastards on the tour and
the most notorious for rearranging cowboy faces, but with thirty outs and only
two rides, he was also one of the most coveted draws. More buck in the bull
meant a bigger chance of a payoff—if Zac made the whistle.
Swapping riding
hands made it a long shot at best, but his lefthanded grip was too weak from
the injury to chance it, and dropping out wasn’t an option. This ride was his
last shot for a big payoff; after that, he was done for good. Living on the
road had lost its shine a long time ago.
In the
beginning, he’d loved the freedom and the variety of traveling, all the
different places and the new faces, but somewhere along the line, the lack of
routine had become more mundane than working a nine to five. The roads all looked
the same. The rodeo arenas all smelled the same. The motel beds felt the same;
the only thing that changed was his bedmate. The only real difference from one
event to another was the bull. They were all different. Any rider who forgot or
became complacent had a short career—that usually ended in intensive care.
After fifteen years of riding bulls, he knew he was pushing his luck.
The next
injury could be fatal. He didn’t give a shit about the glory anymore. Now all
he wanted was enough money to fix his place up and figure out what the hell he
was gonna do with the rest of his life.
He gave a
curt nod to Guilherme Alvaro. The three-time champion Brazilian bull rider had
a five-hundred-point lead, which made him virtually unbeatable, but Zac still
hoped to end this night in the money—even riding with a broken wrist. He’d
already borrowed a right-hand glove; now he just had to tape his busted-up
wrist.
“Zac.”
He looked
up to find his former best buddy, Ty Morgan, standing beside the chutes. They
had once been the best of friends, but things had gone south when Ty’s marriage
broke up. His ex, Delaney, had blamed Zac for it and had forced Ty to choose
between them. Being none too fond of ultimatums, Ty had walked. Delaney had
filed for divorce. Ty hadn’t fought it, but the whole ordeal had still soured
the friendship. Eight years later, they were all once more on speaking terms,
but they’d probably never get back what they’d had.
“Ty?
You’re back? Thought you were in Oklahoma.”
“Nope.
There wasn’t any reason to linger after putting Tom to rest. I’ve never missed
the finals, and neither did he. He’d have wanted me to be here. I was glad to
hear you made the short round.”
“Only by
the skin of my teeth,” Zac replied. “I’m number fifteen. This is my last shot,
but Alvaro’s so far ahead he doesn’t even have to cover his bull. Damn
Brazilians are almost unbeatable. They’ve kicked our American asses in this
sport for too damned long.”
“It’s
changed a lot since the old days,” Ty said. “Hell, we used to do it just for
the rush. Winning a c-spot for making the whistle was only a bonus.”
“Sure has
changed,” Zac said. “Now there’s a half million in the pot. I could retire with
that kinda money.”
Ty looked
surprised. “Are you saying you’re thinking about retirement?”
“Yup.
That’s exactly what I’m saying. Don’t know how much longer I could go on—even
if I wanted to. Which I don’t. The joke’s on me though. Ten years ago I wasn’t
ready to hunker down to ranching, and now that I am, my place is a wreck, and
so am I. I’m getting too old for this shit and with each injury the healin’
seems to take a little longer. Speaking of which, could you give me a hand
taping my wrist?” He held up his injured hand.
“You hurt
your riding hand? What’s wrong with it?” Ty asked.
“I fucked
it up last night. I’m pretty sure it’s broken. I can’t grip worth a shit. But I
can’t fix my place without money, and I can’t get the money unless I win. So
here I am.”
“How are
you going to ride?”
“Gonna
have to swap hands.” “Ever ridden right-handed before?” Ty asked, tearing the
athletic tape with his teeth.
“I’ve
tried a coupla times.” Zac shrugged. “Never made the whistle, but there’s
always a first, right? Every bull’s a different story. I need this, Ty. I can’t
afford to go home empty-handed.”
“You need
the money that bad?” Ty asked.
Zac
snorted. “When does a bull rider not need money?”
Ty grunted
acknowledgement and wrapped the wrist, finishing as the lights dimmed,
signaling the start of the preshow. “Good luck, Zac. I gotta get back to Monica
now.”
“Tom’s
daughter?” Zac asked. “She’s here?”
“Yup. She
surprised the hell out of me too. Just wait ’til you get an eyeful of her.
She’s rocking that cowgirl look.”
Zac eyed
his best friend appraisingly. “What’s up with you and her, Ty? If I didn’t know
better, I’d think you had it bad.”
Ty started
to speak and then turned away with a shake of his head. The preshow had begun,
an elaborate pyrotechnic extravaganza with shooting flames and a pounding hard
rock beat. The crowd went wild when the cowboys appeared, all fifteen of them
entering through circles of flames like they were some kind of superheroes.
There was
a time when he’d lived for this kind of adoration, the cheering crowds, the
fans . . . the buckle bunnies, but even all that had grown tiresome. Fuck, now
he was just plain tired. A few minutes later, as he climbed over his bull’s
chute, thirty-four suddenly felt ancient.
Thank you for hosting BEAUTY AND THE BULL RIDER today!
ReplyDeleteCrystal, Tasty Book Tours
Thank you for the book spotlight! XO Victoria
ReplyDeleteYou're most welcome, I just love your books! :)
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