Book Description:
Sydney
Thomas may be the newest Rodeo Queen on the circuit but she’s more than just a
pretty face and fabulous horseback rider. If only her new boss could see it!
But the frustrating, bossy, drop-dead gorgeous man seems bent on pushing her
away at every chance he gets.
Scott
Chandler learned at an early age that he needed to “cowboy up” and take care of
his family. The one time he let his guard down, his heart got trampled and he’s
not about to let that happen again. He knows Sydney’s type, Rodeo Queens who
hide their manipulative ways behind good looks, tight jeans, and glittery
tiaras.
But
just as Scott and Sydney are finally realizing there might be more to their
fiery relationship than scorching kisses and passionate nights. Secrets from
their pasts come back to haunt them. Will the Cowboy and the Rodeo Queen ever
be able to ride off into the sunset together?
Playlist:
Author Links:
Author Bio:
T. J. Kline was raised competing in rodeos and Rodeo Queen competitions since the age of 14 and has thorough knowledge of the sport as well as the culture involved. She has written several articles about rodeo for small periodicals, as well as a more recent how-to article for RevWriter, and has published a nonfiction health book and two inspirational fiction titles under the name Tina Klinesmith. She is also an avid reader and book reviewer for both Tyndale and Multnomah. In her spare time, she can be found laughing hysterically with her husband, children, and their menagerie of pets in Northern California.
Buy Links:
http://amzn.com/B00CKOVB0W
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rodeo-queen-t-j-kline/1115554820?ean=9780062304834
Excerpt #1
First Meeting
Sydney
rolled up the sleeves of her shirt to her elbows and pulled the shirt from her
chest in an attempt to cool herself. It was only April, but her shirt was
already sticking to her skin at nine in the morning. She couldn’t help but
smile and take in the smell of alfalfa, dust, and leather as she made her way
through the jumbled maze of trucks and trailers, most with horses tied in the
shade, dozing before their events. She knew how lucky she was; most people
couldn’t honestly say that they loved their life, but she loved every minute
she’d spent growing up in rodeo.
Sydney
heard the unmistakable pounding of horse hooves on the packed ground behind her
and moved closer to the vehicle on her right. Usually there was more than enough
room for riders and their rigs in the walkway, but with the unexpected turnout
at the rodeo today, there was barely room to maneuver. The horse was jogging
pretty quickly and she didn’t have anywhere else to go, especially since
another truck and trailer had chosen that moment to pull out of the gate ahead
of her. The driver of the truck spotted her and waved her on. She tried to
hurry through the opening he’d left her at the gate, but the rider behind her
chose to slip between them, his mount’s shoulder knocking her into the gatepost
on her right.
Sydney
reached up to massage her shoulder before registering the surprise on the face
of the driver of the truck.
“Are
you okay, Sydney?” It was Bobby Blake, a friend of her father’s who must have
been delivering some panels in the back of the arena.
“Yeah,
I’m fine,” she assured him before raising her voice. “I guess chivalry really
is dead,” she yelled at the cowboy’s back.
She
saw him jerk his mount to a stop before glancing back over his shoulder at her.
“Look, honey, I don’t have time for you girls who don’t belong back here. This
area is for contestants, not their groupies.”
“Want
me to set him straight?” Bobby asked.
Sydney
smiled her appreciation. “No, but thanks Bobby. I’ve got this.”
“Go
get him, honey,” he teased. “He doesn’t know who he’s dealing with. By the way,
congratulations.”
“Thanks,
Bobby.” Sydney made her way toward the obnoxious cowboy seated on the sorrel.
“Look, I don’t know who you think you are, but around here we tend to have a
sort of unspoken code. When that walkway is packed with cars and horses like
that, you slow down and you certainly do not push your way between a truck and
someone walking. I don’t really appreciate hoofmarks across my back.”
She
looked up at him as she came closer, refusing to let him intimidate her from
his seat on the horse. “And as for being a groupie, I could probably outride
you any day of the week,” she challenged.
The
cowboy arched his right brow and a slow smile spread across his face. “Maybe
we’ll have to see about that later.” With a tap of his heels, the horse jogged
forward a few steps toward one of the stock pens.
Sydney
narrowed her eyes as he left. What a jerk, she thought. Shaking her head, she
rubbed her shoulder again and searched the back of the arena for the stock
contractor’s trailers, noticing a lanky cowboy setting up folding chairs beside
a Findley Brothers stock trailer.
“Excuse
me,” Sydney began, making her way across the short grass. “Can you tell me
where I might find Mike Findley?”
A
weathered face returned her smile and Sydney realized he was much older than
she had first assumed. “What’s that?”
Sydney
realized that he probably couldn’t hear her over the clattering of stock panels
as the cattle moved into the pens. “Mike Findley? Do you know where I can find
him?”
“Oh,
no, I’m not Mike. I’m Jake,” the man hollered.
“Hi
Jake, I’m Sydney Thomas.” She raised her voice as well. “I was just crowned
rodeo queen and I’m looking for Mike to see if we might carry the sponsor flags
or run cattle for him today.”
Jake
turned and faced her, crossing his arms. The cattle had quieted so he toned
down his voice as well. “Well, Mike’s up with the announcer right now working
out of a few details. But he’s not who you’d want to talk to about that.” He
leaned back against the trailer, crossing his ankles as if getting relaxed for
a long conversation.
Sydney
raised her brows in expectation. When Jake didn’t say anything, she pressed.
“So, who should I talk to instead?”
“That’d
be Scott Chandler.”
Sydney
sighed, finding it difficult to restrain herself from punching something. First
she’d been shoved into a fence post and now a cryptic cowboy was obviously
enjoying a joke at her expense.
“And
where would I find Mr. Chandler?”
The
Cheshire-cat grin on Jake’s face made her heart sink. No, life couldn’t
possibly be that cruel. Her gaze followed the direction of his finger as he
pointed to the cowboy atop the sorrel at the stock pen, obviously eavesdropping
on their conversation. Swallowing the dry lump that had suddenly materialized
in her throat, Sydney squared her shoulders and raised her golden eyes to meet
the black eyes of her foe.
“Well,
I think you just finished telling him off.” Jake grinned, anticipating the
showdown to come.
Sydney
had a few choice words that might have suited this moment if her mother hadn’t
ingrained in her how unladylike it was to curse. A blush crept up her cheeks as
Scott Chandler dismounted his horse and bowed deeply before her.
“Your
Majesty,” he mocked. “I am at your disposal.”
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