Table Of ContentAlways a Cowboy
by Cindy Spencer Pape
The Wild Rose Press
www.thewildrosepress.com
Copyright ©2008 by Cindy Spencer Pape
NOTICE: This eBook is licensed to the original purchaser
only. Duplication or distribution to any person via email,
floppy disk, network, print out, or any other means is a
violation of International copyright law and subjects the
violator to severe fines and/or imprisonment. This notice
overrides the Adobe Reader permissions which are
erroneous. This eBook cannot be legally lent or given to
others.
This eBook is displayed using 100% recycled electrons.
Distributed by Fictionwise.com
2
Always a Cowboy
by Cindy Spencer Pape
CONTENTS
Always A Cowboy
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Epilogue
A word about the author...
Thank you for purchasing
* * * *
3
Always a Cowboy
by Cindy Spencer Pape
She tried not to notice the snug fit of his t-shirt as they
chatted idly for several minutes, catching up on lives and
acquaintances.
Finally, she had to ask. "What happened, Trip? Tell me
about your accident."
"Car crash went bad on the set." He named one of last
fall's big blockbuster action flicks. "They edited it out
completely, so you didn't really see me on fire in the
theaters."
"On fire?" Her pulse spiked and her voice squeaked. "Oh
my God!"
"Yeah." He sounded distant, as if he didn't like even
thinking about it. "But they got me out mostly intact. Left leg
was pretty much shattered, burns over most of the right, and
I don't have a spleen anymore." She watched his chest
expand as he took a deep breath. "But it could have been a
hell of a lot worse. Here it is a year later and I'm up and
walking. That's more than a lot of people can say."
There was a lump the size of a mountain in her throat, so
Beth just nodded. She stuck a fried wonton in her mouth so
she wouldn't have to speak. How had he survived all that?
How awful would it have been if he hadn't? She couldn't
afford to let him back into her life, not too far, but she
couldn't imagine a world without him.
4
Always a Cowboy
by Cindy Spencer Pape
Praise for Crazy for the Cowboy, Book 2 of Love at the Crazy
H, by Cindy Spencer Pape:
Five Red Roses from Red Roses for Authors Reviews:
"Cindy Spencer Pape writes a fun and entertaining, page
turning story in Crazy For The Cowboy. Humorous and
sensual and very romantic. A great read I highly
recommend."
Four Cups from CoffeeTime Romance:
"Whew what a fantastic read. Crazy for the Cowboy has a
mind-blowing beginning making this page-turner difficult to
put down ... Cindy Spencer Pape delivers a spellbinding read
with appealing characters that enthralls. This story was so
engaging it was hard to take a bathroom break."
Four and a half Quills from the Gotta Write Network:
"Crazy for the Cowboy is a wonderful addition to the Love At
The Crazy H series ... Pape has created another masterpiece
with Crazy For The Cowboy and left this reader crazy for
more!"
Four Angels from Fallen Angels Reviews:
"I read Crazy For The Cowboy in one sitting. The interplay
between the two main characters is bright and often funny,
and the supporting characters are all interesting as well. The
plot kept me hooked, and all too soon this story ended."
5
Always a Cowboy
by Cindy Spencer Pape
Always A Cowboy
by
Cindy Spencer Pape
[Back to Table of Contents]
6
Always a Cowboy
by Cindy Spencer Pape
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and
incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or
are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons
living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is
entirely coincidental.
Always A Cowboy
COPYRIGHT ©
2008 by Cindy Spencer Pape
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or
reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press except in the
case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or
reviews.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Cover Art by Tamra Westberry
The Wild Rose Press
PO Box 708
Adams Basin, NY 14410-0706
Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com
Publishing History
First Yellow Rose Edition, 2008
Print ISBN 1-60154-261-5
Published in the United States of America
[Back to Table of Contents]
7
Always a Cowboy
by Cindy Spencer Pape
Dedication
To Phillip B. Spencer,
because every little girl deserves a great dad,
and I've got the best.
[Back to Table of Contents]
8
Always a Cowboy
by Cindy Spencer Pape
Chapter One
"Hey Uncle Trip, wanna come play Frisbee with us?"
"Think I'll have to take a rain check on that one, Mike."
Trip Hall smiled and waved his eight-year-old nephew off
toward the game that was forming on the far side of the
picnic area. As much as he liked the idea of a wedding
reception casual enough to offer a Frisbee game, Trip was
afraid his days of running through the park were behind him.
He glanced down at the ivory-handled antique cane that
leaned on the picnic bench beside him. At least he'd
progressed to the decorative model. That was a big
improvement from the orthopedic version he'd used until
recently. And he didn't even like remembering the walker or
the wheelchair that had come before that. But given that less
than a year ago they'd told him he'd never walk again, he
didn't have much to complain about.
It was probably just this whole wedding deal that was
getting him down. As of an hour ago he was officially the only
unmarried Hall sibling. His oldest brother CJ had taken the
plunge in February, and now middle brother Fitz had gone for
a May Day wedding that apparently the whole population of
the county had turned out for.
It wasn't that he wasn't happy his brothers had finally
found women who could put up with them. In fact, he
genuinely liked both his new sisters-in-law and had been
delighted to welcome them into the family. It just felt a little
weird to be the only odd man out. When he'd first moved
9
Always a Cowboy
by Cindy Spencer Pape
back to Shirley last fall there had been three single brothers.
"And then there was one."
"Hey stranger."
As if he'd conjured her with his thoughts, the newest
member of his family sat down beside him. Heedless of her
white eyelet wedding dress, Rhiannon reached down to the
blanket by Trip's feet and hoisted his nine-month old son
Trevor into her lap.
Trip wrapped one arm around the vibrant red-head and
squeezed. "Haven't you come to your senses yet? Last chance
to run away with me instead of the stiff."
Ree hugged him back and laughed at his teasing. "Nah,
someone's got to make sure your uptight brother unwinds
once in a while. But thanks for helping out at the store while
we're on our honeymoon."
She'd recently inherited the only bookstore in the town of
Shirley, Wyoming, and was almost as passionately devoted to
the store as she was to Fitz. Trip and his other new sister-in-
law Allie had agreed to split the workload while the
newlyweds were gone, with the help of Ree's part-time
assistant Lillian.
"No problem, Red. It'll be good to get out of the house a
little more often. I love my new career as an author, but it
gets a little lonely sometimes when the only other person
around has a vocabulary limited to 'Da-da' and 'blankie'."
Ree smiled. "Good. You need to get out more. You can
work on your laptop between customers, so you can keep up
with your writing. And don't hesitate to take Trevor with you
to the store. We moved the storeroom to the upstairs
10
