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Visit our website at http://www.kensingtonbooks.com The Cowboy Lassoes a Bride Kate Pearce ZEBRA BOOKS KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP. www.kensingtonbooks.com All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected. ZEBRA BOOKS are published by Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018 The Cowboy Lassoes a Bride copyright © 2019 by Kate Pearce All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews. To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book. If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.” Zebra and the Z logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off. ISBN-13: 978-1-4201-5351-4 (eBook) ISBN-10: 1-4201-5351-X (eBook) Table of Contents Also by Title Page Copyright Page THE COWBOY LASSOES A BRIDE Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven THE COWBOY LASSOES A BRIDE Kate Pearce Books by Kate Pearce The House of Pleasure Series SIMPLY SEXUAL SIMPLY SINFUL SIMPLY SHAMELESS SIMPLY WICKED SIMPLY INSATIABLE SIMPLY FORBIDDEN SIMPLY CARNAL SIMPLY VORACIOUS SIMPLY SCANDALOUS SIMPLY PLEASURE (e-novella) SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE (e-novella) The Sinners Club Series THE SINNERS CLUB TEMPTING A SINNER MASTERING A SINNER THE FIRST SINNERS (e-novella) Single Titles RAW DESIRE The Morgan Brothers Ranch THE RELUCTANT COWBOY THE MAVERICK COWBOY THE LAST GOOD COWBOY THE BAD BOY COWBOY THE BILLIONAIRE BULL RIDER THE RANCHER The Millers of Morgan Valley THE SECOND CHANCE RANCHER THE RANCHER'S REDEMPTION THE REBELLIOUS RANCHER THE RANCHER MEETS HIS MATCH Anthologies SOME LIKE IT ROUGH LORDS OF PASSION HAPPY IS THE BRIDE A SEASON TO CELEBRATE MARRYING MY COWBOY CHRISTMAS KISSES WITH MY COWBOY Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation To all the Morgan Ranch readers who were worried about HW and Sam— this one is for you. Chapter One Morgan Ranch, California “Samantha Bernadette Kelly, you come right back here!” HW Morgan bellowed at her retreating form. “I’m talking to you!” Sam took a quick look over her shoulder as she booked it to the barn. Her beloved blond cowboy was standing in the center of the drive in front of the ranch house, and he definitely wasn’t happy. If she could reach her horse, she could get away from him for a few hours and let him cool off. Not that he’d do a thing to her, but she wasn’t ready to answer his question yet. She needed time to think. She hurried into the barn, where she’d already saddled Dollar, and went into the stall. “Where exactly do you think you’re going, Sam?” She almost squeaked as HW spoke from behind her. He must have moved really fast and was now regarding her over the half door of the stall. He wasn’t even breathing hard. She peered at him over Dollar’s back with renewed respect. “I’m going for a ride.” “Right now? When I just went down on one knee, and asked you to marry me?” HW asked. “Yes.” “But—” She held up her hand. “I need to think about it, okay? I’m not saying no. I’m just . . . having a hard time getting my head around the idea.” “Because last time you got engaged the marriage was called off?” HW was trying to be reasonable, and she loved him even more for the effort. “Okay, I get that.” “I do love you, though.” Sam added reassuringly. He stepped back, his hands held high. “Okay. I’ll get out of your hair then.” He walked away leaving Sam clutching Dollar’s reins and staring after him. She’d expected him to talk her out of it and argue it through until they reached an agreement like they always did. But maybe she was asking too much this time? She patted the horse and squeezed out of the stall behind his rump. “Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be back.” Dollar snorted as if he didn’t believe her and whisked his tail. She carefully locked the door and went looking for HW. It didn’t take her long to find him. He’d gone up into the hayloft and was sitting on a bale of straw, blond head down, hands twisted in front of him staring out over the ranch his family had owned for 150 years. Her heart actually hurt at the sight of his dejection. Sam bit her lip and approached him, taking the seat next to him on the prickly bale. “I’m sorry.” Sam put her hand on his denim-clad thigh. “I panicked.” He didn’t speak, but he managed a nod, so Sam pressed on. “I’m not afraid of loving you, I’m just scared that the moment I commit everything will go wrong. And I know you’re nothing like that jerk who two-timed me, and that your word means something, but I guess I’m gun-shy.” “Please go on.” He waved a hand at her. “You’re winning my argument for me.” Sam took a deep breath. “Okay, then.” “Okay to what, exactly?” HW turned to face her, his expression wary. “Us being on the same page, or okay to marrying me?” “Both.” Sam stared
