When
gourmet chef, Annie Reed, rustles pots on a cattle ranch, she
falls in love with her hard-headed cowboy boss, Jake Stone. The
trouble is, she has bigger dreams than laying down three square
meals a day for a gang of cowboys and a boss who's pretty short
on compliments. However, now she's learning to ride the mare,
Sage, and the valley feels more like home every day.
Jake battles his attraction to the lively young city woman he's hired, in desperation, as cook. He has a ranch to run and a mortgage to beat. Even more, his deceased wife had taught him a bitter lesson of mistrust. Will betrayals from his past force Annie to leave him and Rainbow Valley? AvailabilityAvailable from Amber Quill Press . ISBN:1-59279-449-1 (Electronic) Reviewers sayThis is a rollicking, good tale of love on a ranch in the modern west. Barbara Clark has outdone herself in this story with handsome cowboys, big horses, even bigger cows, and sparkling, witty dialogue between the city-slicker chef and the hard-working, down-on-his luck cowboy. The reader finds herself drawn into the soaring vistas and rugged outdoors of Arizona and loving every minute of it. A wonderful tale! 5 Stars...Lani Roberts, Affaire de Coeur Magazine Barbara Clark has done it again for me. She has taken two strong characters and written and incredible story for all to enjoy. Rainbow Valley is only the first in Barbara’s contemporary Western Series and I can’t wait to read the next one titled Montana Bride… Annie and Jake get off to a bad start when she loses her way and winds up in the middle of his cattle herd. Then Jake's bitter enemy, Ben Russell, offers Annie a job as personal assistant with emphasis on the personal. She turns it down but doesn't know what she'll do as she had been counting on the job to get her by. Jake comes into the restaurant where Annie is sitting trying to figure out what she will do when she overhears him saying he needed a cook badly. Annie immediately says she'll take the job. Jake is wary as his ex-wife and his mother were both city girls who didn't bother sticking around when the going got tough. He figures Annie will be the same way. Annie relishes the job even though it means a lot of work. She loves Rainbow Valley and falls in love with Jake but doesn't feel she has any chance with him. How can she let Jake know that she's not like his ex-wife or his mother and that she's worthy of his trust? When Annie is offered the job of a lifetime, will Jake let her go or will he beg her to stay? Annie does everything in her power to let Jake know that one word from him and she'll stay forever but will that be enough for them to have a happily ever after? This beautiful romance
was a joy to read. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing from
beginning to end. Annie and Jake were totally likeable Kathy
Boswell, Managing Editor, The
Best Reviews A SampleShe eased Sage into a walk toward where the big birds scratched and hunted for food in the deep grass, her thoughts more on Jake than guiding Sage. A second flock of turkeys erupted from the underbrush. One huge tom spread his wings and flew at her. The startled mare sidestepped nervously. Almost falling, Annie clutched the pommel and regained her balance just as Sage took off with a leap, racing past Jake and Bandit, into unfamiliar territory. Jake shouted her name. She hadn't the breath to answer as she desperately fought to stay in the saddle and slow her mount's headlong flight. They splashed through a stream behind the cabin, dodged broken fence posts, and rushed heedlessly between trees and scattered boulders. Branches snagged her hair. Sage's mane whipped across her face, tangling in her eyelashes. The sharp smell of the mare's sweat filled Annie's nostrils. Tears of pain and fear stung her eyes. Worried Sage would be injured, she tried to regain control, but the spooked horse had the bit in her teeth and went faster, following the faint trail up a long bench of hard-packed earth and rock. The mare lunged at the steeper pitch, and ripped the reins from Annie's hands. She watched with horror as the straps flew out of reach. How could she stop Sage from hurting them both? She didn't want to jump and leave the horse to injure itself. Choking back her panic, she leaned forward, caught the flying
reins, but lost her left stirrup. Her heel gouged the buckskin's
side. With a wild snort, Sage charged up the narrow path, topped
the crest, and raced into a shallow dip. Then she felt herself falling through empty space.
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Cover art by Trace Edward Zaber |
