THE CATTLEMAN

By: Angi Morgan

Congratulations to "Julie G.", the winner in Angi's giveaway. Thank you to all who participated!

It’s always great to be on JRS and with romantic suspense readers. I thought I’d share a little from book 2 of my West Texas Watchmen series that’s hitting shelves this week. I’m so honored that Romantic Times Magazine chose THE CATTLEMAN as a Top Pick and gave it 4 1/2 stars. So to celebrate, leave a comment to be eligible for a $10.00 gift card.

“Morgan pens a lovely comeback story of a hero fighting his inner demons and struggling with PTSD. With equal parts action, romance and compelling characters, she hits all the right notes.” ~RT Magazine

Nick didn’t have nearly enough ammo for a gunfight. Neither did Beth. As soon as she announced they were giving up, he turned off the satellite phone and shoved it in Beth’s pocket.

“Are we going somewhere?”

“Down.”

“But I thought–”

“I said that in case they were listening.”

“Cluing me in on your plans might be nice.” She stepped between the trees and around the large rock they’d grown around.

“No time. Can we talk about this later?”

“I’m supposed to be the big time DEA agent and Mr. Rancher over here is…” Beth mumbled as she led the way.

Nick couldn’t hear much of her complaints but got the gist. They were more about being caught unprepared than about him trying to save their behinds. That was just fine. She skidded along, grabbing rocks to slow herself, mad at their situation but not whining about it.

Maybe it was time to admit that he liked her more than just a little. But this was not the time or the place to admit it to her. A rock fell and hit his shoulder.

“Beth.” He pointed up and behind them. “They’re coming down.”

“Then we need to move faster. Take the lead. I don’t suppose there’s a cave or even a…a large crevice close by that we can use for cover?”

“Put your gun away. You need both hands for this. Stay close so I can get to you if you slip.”

On a normal day, it would take several hours to just walk down the road to the bottom of this mesa. Coming straight down the side was dangerous. Very dangerous. They moved in silence. Breathing hard. No time for water. Their legs working overtime battling the steep descent.

Beth’s legs were already sore from riding yesterday. She skidded, let out an “oh no” and her hand landed in the middle of his back. He braced himself at her warning, catching a solid foothold and grip.

“These boots were not made for climbing.” She brushed off the near fall with words, but she was stiff against the rock face.

“You might lose one or two of those rhinestones,” he teased.

“We might fall to the bottom. Do you think I’d be better off climbing barefoot?”

“Better keep `em on.” He smiled and knew he needed to quit teasing. He should be serious. They were in deep trouble with no way out.

An avalanche of emotion dropped on his head like the rocks above them could at any moment. Thinking about the woman instead of the problem was a sure sign he liked Beth…a lot. Maybe too much.

Of course it was too much.

He anchored himself and held out his hand, ready for her to come to him. She hesitated, barely raising her arm. He latched onto her fingers and her feet moved slowly. He waited. Bodies close together, eyes level with his and wide with curiosity. A ray of sun broke through the clouds and turned them several shades lighter.

Men–bad men–were chasing them down a mountain.

There was no place to hide. Nowhere to escape.

What did he do? He kissed her.

Not a good-bye. Not an invitation. Not just because she was close.

His girl was in his arms and her lips were smooth against his parched ones. Their tongues did a short dance and he felt more confident. She restored something in him that had been missing the past year. He lifted his head, unable to help the smile that spread across his face. He expected a stern set down from her about how they were in a hurry.

But, shoot, from the way she looked at him, maybe he’d given something back to her, too.

The wide-eyed moment was gone. She looked up and behind them, steadying herself with her hands on his shoulders. “We should probably get…”

“Moving. Right. You going to be okay?” he asked, really curious if the near fall had bothered her as much as the thought of losing her had bothered him.

Small rocks skittered past their heads. “Great. More than great. Excellent. Let’s go while we can.”

Choosing or creating a path where the javelinas didn’t traverse was hard enough without the added thoughts about Beth. He could hear the grumbles about being caught off guard, about not doing her job, not protecting her asset.

“Is that me? Am I your asset?”

“Of course you are.”

“Beth, I’ve told you this before. I can look after myself.”

And just like it had been scripted, he heard the lone shot of a gun and zipped back to the cliff wall, covering Beth’s body.

“There’s something to be said about perfect timing.” Beth drew her handgun from its holster.

“My father always says timing is the essence of all comedy, but there is nothing funny about getting shot. Nada.”

Excerpt and Covers provided by Harlequin Enterprises.

Available on Amazon, B&N, iTunes

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THE CATTLEMAN is a special story. Nick was named (not based) for my cousin’s son. He served in the military and does suffer from PTSD as many in the military do. Sometimes ordinary people also suffer from PTSD from a traumatic event. My heart goes out to them all.

Nick is a returning character. He was originally in Protecting Their Child where he was shot. DO YOU enjoy reading the stories of returning secondary characters?

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ANGI MORGAN writes “Intrigues where honor and danger collide with love.” She combines actual Texas settings with characters who are in realistic and dangerous situations. Angi's work has been a finalist in the Bookseller’s Best Award, Romantic Times Best First Series, Carolyn Readers Choice, Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence and the Daphne du Maurier.

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Monthly Giveaway on Rafflecopter check out A Picture A Day for the link

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Giveaway ends 11:59pm EST January 20th. Please supply your email in the post. You may use spaces or full text for security. (ex. jsmith at gmail dot com) If you do not wish to supply your email, or have trouble posting, please email maureen@justromanticsuspense.com with a subject title of JRS GIVEAWAY to be entered in the current giveaway.