Champagne Flutes & Cowboy Boots!

What’s your idea of the perfect date? Candlelight and wine in an elegant restaurant with a sauve and sexy man? Or an outdoor barbecue and a beer with a rough and ready cowboy? Today we have the best of both worlds for you. Margo Hoornstra brings you her hero, Jonah Colt, a military veteran turned judge, while I'm sharing my cowboy hero, Cole Matheson.

Asking For Trouble by Jannine Gallant

Asking For Trouble is Free February 18-22 Only! Click HERE.

Daycare owner, Miranda O’Neill isn’t looking for a miracle. But that’s what it’ll take to convince Cole Matheson the American Dream isn’t a trap designed to suck the life out of a man. She wants a house with a white picket fence and babies of her own. He’s perfectly content claiming his aging hound as his only dependent. Six months before, they’d admitted love wasn’t enough and parted ways. But when Cole finds himself in charge of his nephew for the ten longest days of his life, he asks Miranda to put aside her heartache to jump into the fray. Will a demon in a diaper bring them together—or tear them apart forever?

“So, how was your day?”

Miranda turned away from the sun sinking below the horizon in a burst of gold and crimson, and regarded him with a sober expression. Taking the beer he offered, she nodded her thanks. “Pretty typical. One skinned knee, two leaking diapers, and twelve finger-painted masterpieces. And I did call the local paper about placing an ad for a new employee.”

“That’s good.” He took a swallow of beer and eyed her steadily. “What’s bugging you, then, besides the fact I left you stranded with Jackson?”

“I was a little pissed, but I’m over it. What I’m not over is this.” She spread her arms wide. “You and me, hanging out like an old married couple discussing our day.” She placed her beer on the table then pressed a hand to her breasts. “It isn’t helping, Cole. It’s making me want something I can’t have.”

He reared back. “I want it, too.”

“No, you only want part of it.” She pointed at Jackson who’d crawled into the grass to sit near Tucker. The boy threw dandelions into the air and giggled when they showered down on the dog. Miranda’s eyes clouded. “I want it all.”

“Maybe…”

“No maybe.” Swinging around, she crossed the patio. “I’ll go make a salad, and we won’t talk about this again.”

Cole stared after her departing back, and to his amazement, tears burned his eyes. He loved Miranda with an intensity that shook him to his soul. But was it enough to forgo his freedom?

Only If You Dare by Margo Hoornstra

Buy it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or the Wild Rose Press

All the pleasures and none of the pain, that’s what Cynthia Buckingham wants in a relationship these days. A one-night stand with Jonah Colt seems to fit that bill perfectly. Besides, her true passion is helping victims of PTSD reclaim their lives. Waking up after spending the night with a woman he barely knows, Jonah is stunned to realize sex for the sake of sex isn’t enough for him anymore. All he wants is to put the ravages of a military past behind him to focus on a peaceful civilian life. Will he allow himself to accept Cynthia’s help—and win her love?

From the very beginning, Jonah made the evening perfect. Taking them around to her side of the car, getting her safely settled and shut inside before he took his place behind the wheel. Then reversed the process after they arrived at Cornell’s, a high priced seafood restaurant, with the very best shrimp cocktail ever created.

“My favorite place. But how did you know?”

He paused to take her hand as they approached the entrance. “Let’s just say I used my powers of observation.”

Their evening together was wonderful to say the least. So why did an unusual sense of regret slide through her every time she and Jonah took a short break from laughing?

Because their time together like this, like a normal, happy couple who enjoyed each other’s company—outside the bedroom as well as in—would soon end?

Then what?

Had she so diverted from the no strings and no commitments plan she had laid out for the rest of her life? Who knew if she had the ability to pull it off?

If she concentrated hard enough, she could see them going on this way for years. When she allowed herself to imagine the two of them together beyond the one night stand that had drifted on for the better part of a few weeks now. Truth was, she could see them together, but not too clearly.

Life’s simple pleasures. That’s what she intended to share with Jonah Colt. Life’s simple pleasures. And none of its pain.

Margo Hoornstra hails from the Midwest, land of the—this year at least—never ending snow storms. It’s beautiful to look at but has put a crimp in her second love besides writing, long walks outdoors. Here’s where you can find out more about Margo:

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I live in beautiful Lake Tahoe where I enjoy hiking and snowshoeing in the woods around my home. My stories are set in small towns and reflect the beauty of nature. Here’s where you can find out more about me:

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