Title: Blazing Hot Cowboy
Author:
Kim Redford
Series:
Smokin’ Hot Cowboys, #2
ISBN:
9781492621508
Pubdate:
January 3, 2017
Genre:
Contemporary Western
He’s all the heat she’ll ever need.
Lauren Sheridan’s return to Wildcat Bluff after the death of
her husband is bittersweet. Thirteen years have passed since she set foot in
the place that’s always held her heart…and the sizzling memories of her high
school sweetheart.
Kent Duval has it all. A proud rancher and volunteer
firefighter in the small town of Wildcat Bluff, he’s missing only one thing
from his life: passion. Kent last saw Lauren Sheridan when she was sweet
sixteen and they were head-over-heels in love. Now she’s back, spunky daughter
in tow, and he no longer knows which way is up. As the heat between them
builds, Kent can’t help but wonder if past flames can be rekindled and second
chances really do exist.
Kim
Redford is an acclaimed author of Western romance
novels. She grew up in Texas with cowboys, cowgirls, horses,
cattle, and rodeos for inspiration. She divides her time between homes in Texas
and Oklahoma, where she’s a rescue cat wrangler and horseback rider—when she
takes a break from her keyboard. Visit her at kimredford.com.
Buy
Links:
Rafflecopter giveaway
Enter to win one of ten copies of
Blazing Hot Cowboy by Kim Redford.
Embed
Link
Kim
Redford: I’m excited to share one of my favorite cowboy characters!
The
Lonesome Dove (1985) series of four Western novels by Larry McMurtry
adapted into a television mini-series (1989) is a fictionalized—with many
additional twists and turns across the years—account of a famous cattle drive
from Texas to Montana. Former Texas Ranger Gus McCrae (Robert Duvall) stands
out as a strong, determined, loyal friend with a big heart as he makes his way
across the Wild West.
He's
one hero who inspired my Smokin’ Hot Cowboys series of contemporary cowboy
firefighter novel
Excerpt:
In
Wildcat Bluff County, Texas . . .
Kent Duval joined other firefighters in
front of a burning barn. He wasn’t wearing much firefighter gear, so he’d pump
water and roll hose from the booster while another volunteer used the nozzle to
wet a perimeter around the structure.
Streams of water hit the building and
steam rose along with smoke as Kent and the other first responders fought to bring
the blaze under control. Even so, the fire quickly expanded in size as it ate
up oxygen. Soon the wooden barn was fully engaged and pumping smoke. Flames
surged higher into the sky. They kept up the water barrage, beating back the
blaze despite the orange-and-yellow flames spitting and licking and clawing to
take back what was lost. Every fire had its own personality. This one reminded
Kent of a dangerous wild bull.
And just when he thought they had the
blaze contained, a piece of shake-shingle roof was ripped off by the wind and
whipped across firefighter heads to land in the adjacent pasture. Flames
immediately set the dry grass ablaze, and a line of fire headed straight for the
nearby house at Twin Oaks.
“Watch my pump!” When Kent got a nod of
understanding from another firefighter, he took off running, hoping he could
stomp out the fire with his cowboy boots before it took hold and swept away
from them.
He got ahead of the blaze, but the
flames were quickly consuming the grass. He stomped hard, making a little
headway, but he quickly realized he wasn’t able to do enough fast enough. And
the other firefighters couldn’t leave the barn. He’d have to call for backup,
but he feared the engine couldn’t get there in time.
Just as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, he heard Lauren
calling to him. He glanced up. She’d crossed the road, dragging a heavy fire
extinguisher in each hand, up to the barbwire fence. He could’ve cheered
because she might just have saved the day.
He pocketed his cell, ran over to her, grabbed the canisters, and
set them down on his side of the fence.
“Hold up the barbwire and I’ll crawl under,” she said as she went
down on her knees.
“Lauren, I don’t want you in danger.”
“I’m not letting that fire get anywhere near my daughter at Twin
Oaks.” She lay down and started to crawl on her stomach under the fence.
He quickly raised the bottom strand of wire so she wouldn’t tear her
clothes or scratch her back.
Once she was on the other side, she grabbed a can and dragged it
toward the leading edge of the blaze.
He used the black strap to hang the other fire extinguisher over his
shoulder and caught up. He tried to take the canister from her, but she gave
him a no nonsense look.
“Two of us are faster than one,” she said. “I remember how to use
these cans, so let’s get to it.”
He grinned, loving her sassiness even as he wanted to keep her safe.
He knew better. This was his Lauren, and she didn’t back down for nothing or
nobody. “Let’s do it.”
Together, they got out in front of the fire and started spraying the
potent chemical on the blaze, leaving a trail of yellow. They continued to
relentlessly douse the flames till nothing was left except charred grass. When
their fire extinguishers were empty, they tossed them aside, and then stomped
on the crisp grass to make sure there were no hot embers left that might
reignite.
Finally, Kent picked up one empty canister and hung it from his
shoulder by the strap before he put the other strap over his free shoulder. He
couldn’t resist leaning down and giving Lauren a quick kiss.
“Don’t you know I’m too hot to handle?” she teased, chuckling with a
sound caught somewhere between delight and relief.
“Guess I’m looking to get burned.”
“I think we’re both a little on the scorched side.” She pointed
toward the barn. “But that building took the brunt of it.”
He looked in that direction. He felt a vast sense of comfort when he
saw the old barn was nothing more than a pile of black rubble with a red-orange
glow of banked embers here and there. He glanced back at the blackened patch of
pasture. He’d been cocky tonight—maybe because being with Lauren had made him
feel like Superman. He knew better. You could never count on a fire doing what
it was supposed to do, and particularly not when it was a raging bull of a
blaze.
He clasped Lauren’s hand and threaded their fingers together. “Guess
you’re a Wildcat Bluff volunteer firefighter all over again.”
She squeezed his hand. “I feel like I’ve never been gone.”
“Let’s get you home.”
“Twin Oaks will look mighty good.”
But Kent hadn’t been thinking about that place. He’d been thinking
about his own farmhouse on Cougar Ranch.
