LITMIR.BIZ

      “How long have you been running the ranch?”

      “For a little over a year and a half,” Quinn said. Instinct shouted at him to proceed with caution. “Why?”

      “Did you give up climbing for this?” Taylor asked.

      “Excuse me?”

      “I want to know what your priorities are. If you’re a rancher, you’re a rancher. That’s fine. But I didn’t hire a rancher to see me through my recertification. I hired you under the express belief you were a dedicated mountaineer.”

      Muscles along his jaw worked and knotted. “I’m perfectly capable of doing, and being, both.”

      “I disagree.” She crossed her arms and looked at some point well beyond him. “When was the last time you summited, Quinn? Eight months? Twelve? More?” She waved him off when he started to answer. “What you’ve been doing with yourself over the past several months may not matter so much to you, but it matters very much to me.”

      Dear Reader,

      There are times when a book speaks to an author, and this book was one of those times. It was also one of those times when the author spoke back to the book, and not all of the words were amiable. This book challenged me in ways I wasn’t prepared to confront, both good and bad. Both the manuscript and the characters pushed me to write with such emotional authenticity that there were days I was literally incapable of making dinner—or even ordering off a menu—because I was so mentally fried! The end result was a book that resonated with me on a unique emotional level and proved worth every ounce of sweat and every minute of sleep lost. May you find yourself as caught up in the tale as I was and, in the end, as enamored with the characters as I am.

      Happy reading,

      Kelli Ireland

      Conquering the Cowboy

      Kelli Ireland

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      KELLI IRELAND spent a decade as a name on a door in corporate America. Unexpectedly liberated by fate’s sense of humor, she chose to carpe the diem and pursue her passion for writing. A fan of happily-ever-afters, she found she loved being the puppet master for the most unlikely couples. Seeing them through the best and worst of each other while helping them survive the joys and disasters of falling in love? Best. Thing. Ever. Visit Kelli’s website at kelliireland.com.

      To Vivian Arend, a beautiful soul who recognizes the value of a country boy. Muah!

      Contents

       Cover

       Back Cover Text

       Introduction

       Dear Reader

       Title Page

       About the Author

       Dedication

       Chapter 1

       Chapter 2

       Chapter 3

       Chapter 4

       Chapter 5

       Chapter 6

       Chapter 7

       Chapter 8

       Chapter 9

       Chapter 10

       Chapter 11

       Chapter 12

       Chapter 13

       Chapter 14

       Chapter 15

       Chapter 16

       Extract

       Copyright

       1

      WHETHER IT WAS beating the house in Vegas or coming back from a search-and-rescue call that had much higher stakes, Taylor Williams thrived on beating the odds. No, that wasn’t quite right. She didn’t just thrive on it. She lived for it, for those moments when she turned the bell curve into a ninety-degree climb and made the competition sweat—not to keep up, but merely keep her within sight, when she forced “average” to recognize her as irrefutably superior.

      And if being a member of the Pacific Northwest’s Mountain Search and Rescue team, known as the Prime Times, had taught her anything about superiority, it was that staring down long odds—without blinking—was the easy part. Surviving the consequences? That was the ultimate measure of

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