Never Enough Cowboy
Jennie Marts
(Creedence Horse Rescue, #4)
Sourcebooks Casablanca
July 26th 2022
Adult, Contemporary, Romance
“A swoon-worthy, must-read romance.” –SARA RICHARDSON, National bestselling author
Fans of Carolyn Brown, Maisey Yates, and Jennifer Ryan will fall head over cowboy boots for this second-chance romance from USA Today bestseller Jennie Marts.
Single mom Jillian Bennett barely has a moment to herself between raising her ten-year old son, volunteering at the horse rescue ranch, and working her new job as head librarian of Creedence, Colorado. She doesn’t have time for romance either, even though she and the cute deputy, Ethan Rayburn, have been doing a lot of flirting the last few weeks. But when he also forms a bond with her son, Milo, Jillian falls hard, and Ethan soon realizes he would do anything for the feisty librarian who’s won his heart.
Praise for Jennie Marts:
“Full of hope, humor, and undeniable swoon.”—A.J. Pine, USA Today bestselling author
“Funny, complicated, and irresistible. Sometimes a cowboy isn’t perfect but you got to love him anyway.”—Jodi Thomas, New York Times bestselling author, for Caught Up in a Cowboy
“The perfect blend of humor, grit, and sexy cowboy spice. Delicious!”—Kari Lynn Dell, award-winning and bestselling author, for Wish Upon a Cowboy
“Deliciously steamy but still sweet, with a secret at its heart.”—Joanne Kennedy, award-winning and bestselling author, for Wish Upon a Cowboy
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Excerpt
Her pulse raced as she turned around. She wiped her sweaty palms on her shirt, then took hold of the top rung and swung her leg over. She let out a squeal as her shoe slipped.
“You okay?”
“Ye-s-s,” she said, her voice a little shaky as she regained her footing.
“Talk to me. Tell me about something you’re thinking about.”
“You mean besides my half-naked attempt to defy death as I descend a ladder that looks older than my grandma?”
“Yes.”
She had to smile. “Okay, I’m thinking about how I’ve lived in California for the past ten years, and I’ve gone to the beach a million times. So I’m trying to pretend that I’m just wearing my swimsuit.” She was fully on the ladder now, and she took another hesitant step down.
“Then do I get to be the lifeguard who is saving you? I’m certified in first aid, so I can administer mouth to mouth if the situation calls for it.”
She could hear the humor in his voice as she took another step. “You’re a pretty smooth talker when you’re hidden under the loft.” She descended another few steps, and Ethan’s head came into view.
His eyes were wide, and his mouth was open as he stared at her mid-section. He made kind of a choking sound, then said, “Are you wearing Iron Man underwear?”
She’d been waiting for some kind of comment when her red and yellow bikini underwear came into view. Now it was her face heating up. “Yes. No. Sort of. It’s my sister’s fault. She has a weird sense of humor. She wanted me to be brave about making the move out here to Colorado, so she ordered me this value pack of superhero underpants. But when they came, we realized they were knockoffs, so I’m actually wearing Ironed Man underwear.” She took another cautious step down the ladder, anxious to get her crotch out of his direct line of sight. “I’d like to tell you I’m only wearing them because I’m low on laundry, but if you must know, I often wear them when I need a little extra ounce of courage or superhero skills for the upcoming day.”
“I’ve gotta know. What’s happening in your life today that warrants Ironed Man’s superhuman strength, genius level intellect, and acerbic wit?”
“I’d say if it was a tug-of war with a goat, Ironed Man failed me.” She cocked an eyebrow, peering at him through the rungs of the ladder. “But I applaud your use of the word acerbic.”
He smiled and lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “My mom was an English teacher. She raised her kids to have an expansive vocabulary.”
Jillian offered him a coy smile. “You know big words are a turn-on for librarians.”
He swallowed. “All librarians or just you?”
She lifted one shoulder. “Why? Is there another librarian you’re interested in turning on?”
He tilted his head. “Hazel Duncan works the desk at the library, and she’s pretty cute.”
Jillian barked out a laugh. “She’s eighty-three.”
“She’s still pretty feisty.”
“You make a valid point.”
“I’m just asking to make sure I properly comprehend what kind of effects my usage of substantially large words might have on you.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing?”
“What?” he asked, obviously trying to sound innocent. He raised his hand on the side of the ladder. It was just the slightest movement, but it was enough for the top of his fingers to graze the underside of hers. “Because you shared that, I was just going to tell you that maybe women in superhero underwear are a turn-on for cowboys.”
Jillian laughed, heat shooting up her spine at the soft touch of his hand against hers. “I think all women in their underwear are a turn-on for cowboys.”
He shrugged. “You make a valid point.”
She took the last step and heaved a sigh of relief as her foot touched the solid ground of the barn floor. Her knees shook as her other foot followed.
Ethan circled the ladder and slid his arm around her waist. “Hey, now. I got you.” He peered down at her, offering her a coy grin as he picked a bit of hay from her bangs. “You made it out of the tree, Kitten.”
Oh. Gosh. The word “kitten” coming out of his mouth in that deep slow drawl he had just about did her in. She wanted to swoon, and she was not a swooner.
But he had just been there for her in her hour of need. And had handled the ridiculously awkward situation with chivalry and tact.
She wasn’t sure if it was because her knees were already weak or because with his arm around her, they were already halfway there, but in a completely uncharacteristic impulse, she turned into him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He smelled like leather and starch and the most delicious cologne, and she wanted to bury her face in his shirt and inhale him. She gave herself just a moment to feel the strength of him, to relish the solid muscle of his chest against hers, to appreciate that amazing feeling of a man’s arms wrapped around her, before her stone-cold willpower kicked back in.
She pulled away and smoothed the wrinkles in the front of his uniform shirt, all too conscious of the shiny gold star pinned to his chest. Another good reason to keep her distance from this man. “Sorry about that. Don’t know what came over me.”
“No need to apologize. I’ll take a hug from a curvy librarian any day.”
She smiled. “I’ll let Hazel know.”
He chuckled. “Seriously, don’t be sorry to me. You just made my day, hell, my whole year has been made. I can’t imagine anything that could top rescuing a damsel…er…I mean, a badass curvy librarian…in distress who was wearing Ironed Man undies.”
“I can imagine,” she said. “But I’d rather you not write this up in a report or share it with the guys down at the office.”
“I won’t say a word. We’ll keep this one just between us.”
“I appreciate it.”
He shook his head, trying to hold back another laugh. “It’s not like they’d believe me anyway.”
“As much as I’m enjoying our little chat here, I think I’m gonna go try to find some pants,” Jillian told him, trying to pull the hem of her T-shirt down. “I think I’ve got my gym bag in my car.”
She didn’t need to tell him she’d had the bag in her car for weeks. It wasn’t that she hated exercise, she just preferred to do it hiking trails and running around outside with her son and his newly acquired puppy.
“Good idea,” Ethan said. “I’ll try to track down the goat.”
The back seat of her car was a mess of jackets, dog toys, and books. She spotted her gym bag on the floor and rifled through it, praying to find some pants. Yes. She pulled out a pair of leggings. Using the back of the car for support, she toed off her tennies and was wiggling into the leggings as Bryn and Zane pulled up next to her in his silver truck.
Bryn waved as she got out of the cab but had a quizzical expression on her face. “Hey Jillian. What’s up?”
“Hey, isn’t that Rayburn’s truck?” Zane asked coming around the front of his pickup. “What’s Ethan doing here?”
Bryn’s eyes widened, and a knowing grin spread across her face. She was one of Jillian’s closest friends in Creedence, and she knew all about the semi-crush and the flirting that had been happening between Ethan and Jillian. “Did we interrupt something? If so, we can leave and come back again later. What do you need? Thirty minutes? An hour?”
Oh brother. Could this day get any worse? “No. It’s not like that.”
At the same moment, Ethan sauntered out of the barn door holding up a wad of floral fabric in his hand. “I found your skirt.”
Bryn peered from Ethan back to Jillian. “You were saying?”
My Review
Never Enough Cowboy: Heartwarming cowboy romance on the ranch by Jennie Marts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I love this series so, of course, I love this new addition. The chemistry between Jillian and Ethan was off the charts. I really liked that they became friends with benefits so quickly because I knew this would help Jillian. She is so reluctant but there's no denying that she's just as drawn to Ethan, as he is to her.
I loved seeing characters from past books.
And I can't wait for the next book in the series!
Single mother Jillian came to Creedence, Colorado looking for a better environment for her son. She's the new head librarian, who divides her time between her son, her job, and volunteering at the horse rescue ranch. So romance is the furthest thing from her mind but finds herself flirting with deputy Ethan when he's around.
After coming to her rescue, he blurts out a proposal. Ethan is not this impulsive but something about Jillian that calls to him. And soon he's building bonds with both Jillian and her son Milo.
But Jillian's past does make her hesitate. He's running to be the new sheriff of Creedence and she's afraid of her past being used to hurt his campaign. She tries to end things but Ethan isn't ready to give up.
Thanks so much to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC to review.
View all my reviews
Author Bio:
Jennie Marts is the USA TODAY Best-selling author of award-winning books filled with love, laughter, and always a happily ever after. Readers call her books “laugh out loud” funny and the “perfect mix of romance, humor, and steam.” Fic Central claimed one of her books was “the most fun I’ve had reading in years.”
She is living her own happily ever after in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, two dogs, and a parakeet that loves to tweet to the oldies. She’s addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos, and believes you can’t have too many books, shoes, or friends.
Her books include the contemporary western romance Hearts of Montana series, the romantic comedy/ cozy mysteries of The Page Turners series, the hunky hockey-playing men in the Bannister family in the Bannister Brothers Books, and the small-town romantic comedies in the Lovestruck series of Cotton Creek Romances.
Jennie loves to hear from readers. Follow her on Facebook at Jennie Marts Books, or Twitter at @JennieMarts. Visit her at www.jenniemarts.com and sign up for her newsletter to keep up with the latest news and releases.
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