By
Em Petrova

Sometimes attraction isn’t enough…
but it might be a start.

Ranch hand Theo Sutton is a disappointment to his family for dropping out of college, but he’s determined not to let down his bosses on the Bellamy Ranch. That’s why he covers for the runaway kid who keeps making trouble for him. Proving himself never seemed so important, especially when it comes to the beautiful newcomer to their small town. She only wants Theo to warm her bed once in a while, but every encounter with her leaves him wanting more.

A young widow like Sadie James can’t be too careful with her heart. The last thing she needs is another daredevil man who ends up leaving her. Besides, she’s too focused on getting a fresh start in Crossroads and building her fixer upper consulting business. But she can’t seem to stay away from Theo—or out of the back of his truck or the nearest hay bale.

To Theo’s mind, three people who need love are already a family, but the runaway boy is too stubborn and he’s starting to think Sadie is irreparably damaged. When love overrides loss and they all face a crossroads in life, decisions must be made that could leave them all devastated…or give them the happily ever after they all deserve.

Sadie James is the widow of a champion bull rider. She’s come to Crossroads to start a new life away from all the memories. She has friends here that will support her if she needs it. After a day of checking out properties she’s ready to relax a bit, and stops at a winery to grab a bottle or two of local wine. She’s leaving when a cowboy catches more than just her eye.

When Theo Sutton comes out of the winery, the beautiful woman is still there.

This is a favorite scene.

“Howdy,” he drawled out, closing the distance between them with his long, sure strides. He looked straight at her as he lowered his tailgate and placed the box in the bed of his truck. “Anything I can do for you?”

“Uh…” She knew how women came on to men. Enough buckle bunnies in the rodeo threw themselves at her husband. But personally, she never had to do it, because she and Jackson had been together since she was fifteen.

She waved to her truck hood. “I started the engine and I think I heard a sound. You wouldn’t be willing to have a look, would you?” She tipped her head back to meet his stare and offered him a smile.

“Sure thing. You wanna pop the hood for me?”

She eyed him up. Whatever madness had come over her to make her gawk at the cowboy, wait for him by her truck and then tell a fib about an engine problem took total hold of her.
She wanted to pop more than a hood for him. Maybe a few buttons too?

If she didn’t know better, she’d say the country air was more polluted than the smog in Dallas where she’d come from, and it was affecting her mind after only hours in Crossroads.

She strolled around her truck, opened the driver’s door and popped the hood. When she straightened, she noted the cowboy hadn’t moved from the spot and he quickly flicked his gaze up her body, away from her ass to her face.

Heart pulsating faster, she followed him to the front of the truck. He propped up the hood and peered inside. Wiggling a few hoses and checking connections drew her attention to how big his hands were. Rough too.

A shiver of desire rolled through her body, leaving her breathing faster and feeling a bit damper—everywhere.

He threw her a look from under the brim of his hat. “Can you start the engine for me?”

Oh it’s already started.

“Sure.” She pushed off the front and walked around the side. She swore she felt his eyes tracking her and asked herself what in the world had come over her. After she started the engine, she joined him under the hood again.

He cocked his head, listening to the purring engine. Of course she knew there wasn’t a thing wrong with her truck—she’d gotten it a good tune-up and check before driving it across country. The last thing a woman needed on a solo road trip was to be broken down alongside the road in the middle of nowhere.

The cowboy’s gaze settled on hers. “You from out of town? Haven’t seen you before, and it’s a small town. I know everybody.”

“Not from out of town anymore. I just rolled in today. I was out house hunting when I came across the winery.”

He gave her a full-lipped, toe-curling smile that accompanied a twinkle of interest in those warm brown eyes. “Is that so? What’s your name?”

“Sadie.”

“Well, Sadie, welcome to Crossroads. I’m Theo.”

The syllables tumbled through her on his deep, rumbling, country drawl.

She extended a hand, which he clasped in his, his long fingers folding around hers and making her feel perfectly dainty and feminine—something it’d been too long since she felt, since her vibrator didn’t offer it.

The engine continued to trundle along without a hitch, but Theo didn’t seem all that interested in her truck.

He released her hand and turned back to the engine. “I don’t hear anything odd. Did you say it was a knocking noise?”

She hadn’t said, but she nodded anyway. Going on tiptoe, she edged closer to him as she leaned over the hood as far as she could. When she glanced over her shoulder at Theo, she found his stare riveted firmly on her ass. An ass she had great pride in, as she ran every day and did a Brazilian butt workout the other ones. Jackson had loved her ass, and so had a lot of other men in her life.

“Hmm,” she said, dropping back to her heels. “I don’t hear it anymore.”

He smiled again, causing her stomach to flutter. “Sure you didn’t drink that wine already, Sadie?”

She smiled back. “I’m sure. I got the Crossroads Peach Pie. Have you ever had it?”

He looked her over again as if she was the peach pie and he wanted to dive in and lick her off his lips. God, the thought made her insides shudder with desire. A low, constant hum in her core told her that she hadn’t really reawakened her sexual side since her husband’s death—she’d only turned on the low beams.

Her nipples pinched hard, throwing on the floodlights and cracking a dam inside her.

“I’ve never tried that wine.” His voice roughened, exactly the way she preferred her man’s hands.

She cocked a brow at him. “You single? I mean…maybe you want to share the bottle with me.”

The corners of his lips inched up farther. “I’m single, and I’d love to.” He closed the hood and faced her. “Turn off the engine and grab the bottle. There’s a good view of the sunset a little ways from here.”

She loved his country drawl, his accent and all the country talk a woman like her missed in her life.
Em Petrova. Show-Off in Spurs (Kindle Locations 142-185). Kindle Edition.

To say things get hot and heavy quickly is an understatement as these two could definitely melt a kindle.

There is a lot more to both their stories though, the first being Theo is harboring a runaway on the ranch where he works. Jordy is managing to get Theo in plenty of hot water, since Theo isn’t about to turn the kid in.

What Sadie thought would be a one time thing, is actually going to be more. Turns out Theo is also friends with Dom and Jada and she runs into him at what she thought was just a dinner party.

Things don’t really heat up again until Sadie finds an old schoolhouse to convert into her home. Theo is one of the people recommended by Jada to help with things Sadie can’t do herself. Sadie also has some doubts since Theo is a real cowboy and works with dangerous animals. She’s really not sure she can handle that again.

Lots of trouble from Jordy, fun with Jada and her sister Joss, a new business plan and plenty of romance and sizzle. I can’t wait for another book in this series!

5 Contented Purrs for Em!

Em Petrova

Em Petrova was raised by hippies in the wilds of Pennsylvania but told her parents at the age of four she wanted to be a gypsy when she grew up. She has a soft spot for babies, puppies and 90s Grunge music and believes in Bigfoot and aliens. She started writing at the age of twelve and prides herself on making her characters larger than life and her sex scenes hotter than hot.

She burst into the world of publishing in 2010 after having five beautiful bambinos and figuring they were old enough to get their own snacks while she pounds away at the keys. In her not-so-spare time, she is fur-mommy to a Labradoodle named Daisy Hasselhoff and works as editor with USA Today and New York Times bestselling authors.