Finding His Wyoming Sweetheart
by Virginia McCullough
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GENRE: Sweet Western Romance
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BOOK BLURB:
When it comes to his seven-year-old son, new lodge owner Mack Fisher has a lot to make up for. Fortunately, the small Wyoming town of Adelaide Creek provides the perfect fresh start—that is, if he can avoid the distraction of Erin Hunnicutt’s warm brown eyes. The free-spirited musician has a way of bringing out the best in everyone—especially Mack. When they're thrown together unexpectedly to help their town, sparks fly and a dangerous secret is uncovered. But searching for the answers only leads them to fall deeper for one another…and starts Mack wondering if there’s room for one more in his new family.
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EXCERPT THREE:
The familiar and happy sounds of a baby attempting to talk pulled Erin out of her reverie and back into the noisy party as Quincy approached with her niece Naomi in his arms. Erin looked past him to the other end of the room where she spotted her brother Tom following Willow out one of the side doors. Secure in Grandpa Quincy’s arms, Naomi was happy, at least for the moment.
“Are you sure you’re ready to take the baby home?” Quincy asked. “If you’d like, I could take babysitting duty for the first couple of days of Tom and Willow’s trip.”
Erin reached for Naomi. “Not a chance, Grandpa. I’ve been looking forward to this.” She turned one way and then the other as she said, “I’m ready to roll, raring to go.” She gave the baby a quick kiss on the forehead. That was the truth.
Holding Naomi, Erin did little dance steps in a circle to distract the baby from Grandpa Quincy leaving to go back to the party. “We’re going to have so much fun at my house. You’ll be my Valentine and eat cookies I made especially for you.” She touched the tip of Naomi’s nose, making the baby laugh, so she twirled again and gave the baby’s nose another quick tap.
After making a third full circle, she came face to face with a tall man and a small boy standing in front of her. The man looked slightly familiar, but she couldn’t quite place him. Whoever he was, she’d recognize him the next time. He was studying her through his unforgettable bright blue eyes.
“You don’t know me,” the man said, “but I know a little about you.” He looked down and spoke to the boy. “This is Ms. Erin Hunnicutt, the woman with the pretty voice who sang for us at the Halloween party with Dr. Tom.”
With a jolt of pleasure in her chest, Erin held out her hand to the boy. “And what’s your name?”
“Liam, uh, Liam Louis Fisher.” He pointed to the baby. “That’s Willow’s baby, huh?”
“Right you are. Aren’t you the smart one? I happen to be Naomi’s very proud aunt.” Erin couldn’t place the name Fisher and why it was familiar. Then she remembered. Still addressing the boy, she pointed to the man. “Is his name Mack? Is he your dad?”
“Uh huh.” The boy gave her a shy smile. “My dad owns the Tall Tale Lodge.”
Mack grinned at Erin. “Admittedly, an awkward introduction. But you’ll have to overlook it.” He put his hand to the side of his head. “I can barely think straight.”
Erin frowned. What did that mean?
“I’m awestruck,” he explained, his grin widening. “It’s not every day I come face to face with a woman who’s a talented musician and also a restoration expert who brings battered and charred wood back to life.”
Without thinking, Erin returned the smile. “Now you’re making me blush.” It was true what he said. She’d built her work life around wood restoration, but making music was her favorite hobby. Although those things weren’t making her cheeks heat up. That had more to do with Mack’s deep, smooth voice and how her stomach fluttered looking into those amused blue eyes. She’d always had a soft spot for a neat—but not too neat—beard.
“As I recall, Mack, you don’t live in Adelaide Creek, but here you are, celebrating the grand opening of the restored town hall with the rest of us. And on Valentine’s Day, too.”
“We do too live here.” Liam stood up a little straighter and lifted his chin a notch. “In a bunkhouse. Real cowboys lived there a long, long time ago.”
“That’s right, kiddo.” Mack spoke to Liam with a laugh in his voice before turning to Erin.
“I’ve heard all about that bunkhouse. Very cool, Liam,” Erin said. “My house is a big cabin. It’s pretty cool, too.”
A sly smile tugged at the corners of Liam’s mouth. “Is the baby going to your house? Do you have Valentine cookies there?”
Obviously not expecting that question, Mack laughed a little nervously. “Uh, I think we’ve had our share of cookies, Liam.”
Erin made a quick decision to keep Mack engaged and maybe surprise him a little. “As a matter of fact, the cookies I made are shaped like hearts. Why don’t you and your dad come over to my house and have a treat or two?
“Do you mean it?” Liam’s eyes widened. A deeper shade of blue than Mack’s, the boy’s eyes were every bit as distinctive.
Mack shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I didn’t have any idea…I mean I wasn’t fishing for an invitation.”
“I know,” Erin said. “But I have a ton of cookies, and I’m taking the baby home.” She glanced at Liam. I share the house with Neptune. He’s a golden retriever and he likes kids.”
Liam lifted himself onto the balls of his feet. “Can we go, Dad? Can we?”
Mack looked at Liam and then at Erin. His curious frown made it clear she’d thrown him off kilter.
Erin flashed Mack a look intended as a friendly dare. Her quick invitation flustered him, and her devilish side enjoyed it, perhaps a little too much.
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AUTHOR BIO:
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Award winning author, Virginia McCullough writes romance for the Harlequin Heartwarming line, and FINDING HIS WYOMING SWEETHEART is Book 4 of her Adelaide Creek series. She also writes women’s fiction and nonfiction on a variety of topics. Virginia’s characters could be your family, friends, or neighbors, and all her stories offer hope, healing, and plenty of second chances. Drawn to water, she almost always sets her stories on a body of water, from oceans, lakes, rivers, and the winding Adelaide Creek.
A ghostwriter, book doctor/editor, coach, and experienced workshop presenter, Virginia is a wanderer, but currently lives in Northeastern Wisconsin. When she’s not writing, she’s walking on trails near her home or in some faraway place. She reads, streams series, hangs out with other writers, and daydreams about her next adventure.
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