She angled her head away. "I thought I'd try something new and not say everything that pops into my head."
"You don't look very happy about it."
"It's a struggle," she said dryly.
And this one cracked me up.
She scowled at Cole, suddenly annoyed at how much he reminded her of one of his precious bulls, a massive pile of man-flesh all smug and content. All he needed was a tail to switch at the flies.
"Do you ever do anything just for fun?" she demanded.
His sleepy gaze traveled down the length of her and back up again, and he raised his eyebrows.
"Besides me," she snapped.
Joe choked, coughed, and sat up, holding his back. "Shit. I think I just pulled something."
So the hero, Cole, he has Asperger's and obsesses about some things. Namely when he screws up and lets people down. Even if they aren't upset. The heroine had wanted to do a team roping competition and asked him to partner her even though he was new at it and things didn't go as well as he'd hoped. I thought this was a good glimpse of their dynamic...
"What about the good runs? The shots you made? Do you remember those?"
"Well...yeah."
"But you focus on the mistakes."
"I can't help--"
She wanted to call bullshit-- would've if it had been anyone else-- but Cole's brain didn't work like other brains, so maybe he couldn't stop himself from obsessing. Either way, he'd known this day would be torture and he'd come with her anyway. Her heart did a complicated, slightly terrifying whirl and swoop. This man. This strange, wonderful, maddening man.
What the hell was she going to do with him? She shied away from the question and kissed his chin instead. "You realize this leaves me no choice."
"Except?" he asked, worry puckering his brows.
"I'll just have to blow your mind so hard tonight you can't even remember your name, let alone some stupid team roping.
And this. Hilarious. I would totally switch out coffee for chocolate and be him all the way.
His next conscious thought was coffee. He inhaled, willing the scent directly into his brain. It should work, dammit. Smells were just molecules of a substance floating around in the air. The bed dipped and something bumped his chin. He reeled up one eyelid to find a travel mug resting on the pillow in front of his face.
"Exactly two teaspoons of sugar, the way you always make it." Shawnee flicked the bendy straw she'd stuffed in the top. "And you won't even have to lift your head."
Cole wrapped his hand around the mug, inhaled again, then breathed out a sigh of pure bliss. "I don't even care if you're mocking me. You're still a goddess."
Kari Lynn Dell has won a place on my cowboy loving bookshelf. Damn, but, she writes a delicious cowboy and a damn feisty cowgirl. Tougher in Texas...blew me away.
Basically, Cole runs a rodeo. And has just fired yet another pickup man. Something he kinda needs to keep his rodeos running. And so his business partner makes good on her threat and sends a certain replacement he can't fire and who happens to be his worst nightmare. A pickup woman named Shawnee who drives him just a little bit insane. And enjoys every second of it. And now they're trapped together on the road for weeks.
I LOVED Cole! Omg, yall, he's an amazing hero. And a little unique. He has Asperger's which makes social interactions a bit of a struggle for him. He can get overwhelmed, relies on repetition and other coping techniques to get through things and is very literal. He's dependable, honorable, takes care of his people. And I adored him. I would climb that hunk of cowboy like a freaking tree!
And Shawnee. She's brash, wild, outgoing and pretty much buttoned up Cole's polar opposite. And I adored her, too. She's a bit damaged and tries not to make connections with other people because of it. I hurt for her as bits of her past were revealed and some of her behaviors were explained.
And together. They were amazing. Centered each other, drove each other crazy, picked and exasperated but also got each other's issues and didn't have to be anyone they weren't when they were together. They were pretty dang steamy, too, once things heated up.
The rodeo aspect was fantastic as always. I love being on the side of the rodeo crew and not the competitors. It's really a different dynamic and so interesting. Seeing them set up, take care of the stock, working the rodeo events. It's exciting and nerve wracking at the same time.
All together I'm smitten. Kari Lynn Dell has me in a swoon over her cowboys and cowgirls and I can't wait for the next.
Rodeo producer Cole Jacobs has his hands full running Jacobs Livestock. He can't afford to lose a single cowboy, so when cousin Violet offers to send along a more-than-capable replacement, he's got no choice but to accept. He expects a grizzled Texas good ol' boy.
He gets Shawnee Pickett. Wild and outspoken, ruthlessly self-reliant, Shawnee's not looking for anything but a good time. It doesn't matter how quickly the tall, dark and quiet cowboy gets under her skin—Cole Jacobs deserves something real, and Shawnee can't promise him forever. Life's got a way of kicking her in the teeth, and she's got her bags packed before tragedy can knock her down. Too bad Cole's not the type to give up when the going gets tough...
Amazon | Goodreads | Dell on HCBS
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