A Real Cowboy Always Trusts His Heart: A Wyoming Rebels Novel Read online

  A Real Cowboy Always Trusts His Heart

  A Wyoming Rebels Novel

  Stephanie Rowe

  Authenticity Playground, LLC

  Contents

  The Buzz

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Sneak Peek: Her Rebel Cowboy

  Sneak Peek: Ghost

  Sneak Peek: Irresistibly Mine

  Sneak Peek: Darkness Awakened

  A Quick Favor

  Stay in the Know!

  Books by Stephanie Rowe

  About the Author

  The Buzz

  Wyoming Rebels

  "A must-read series!" ~Theresa L. (Amazon Review)

  "I fall hard for the Stockton men and equally love and root for the heroines of the story." ~Amanda C (Amazon Review)

  "These are beautifully written, like a piece of art." ~Lynses (Amazon Review)

  "I have loved all of the books in this series." ~Love Snow (Amazon Review)

  "Wonderful, emotional books." ~Kimberly M. (Amazon Review)

  "This series is a must to read!" ~Vicki S (Amazon Review)

  "I wish this series would go on and on." ~Mary C. (Amazon Review)

  "Cowboys with strong women who hold their hearts? Now that’s a worthy read." ~Tgmon (Amazon Review)

  "I laughed, I bawled, I will read this series time and time again." ~Amanda C (Amazon Review)

  "I love this series. All the brothers are fantastic characters…capable of such love and loyalty." ~Lynn S. (Amazon Review)

  "What an amazing series… If you love strong loyal men that just happen to wear cowboy hats and love so strong, then this book is for you." ~Kindle Customer (Amazon Review)

  "I adore this family! …This is definitely one of my favorite series and since paranormal is my usual interest, that's saying something." ~Laura B (Amazon Review)

  A Real Cowboy For Christmas

  "Beautiful heart warming story." ~Vicki S (Amazon Review)

  "This book was AMAZING! Such a cute and sweet story." ~Amazon Customer (Amazon Review)

  "This series is so good. I’m always so sad when each book ends!" ~Niki (Amazon Review)

  "I would give this one 6 or more stars it was so good." ~Madison F (Amazon Review)

  "This was the best. I cried several times and laughed and had the biggest happy smile. An epic heartwarming story…I totally recommend this book for the romantic at heart!" ~Vicki R (Amazon Review)

  "Where do I even start with how much I enjoyed this book? It was funny and sexy and I couldn't stop reading it once I started!!!! …a BEAUTIFUL love story." ~Janet W. (Amazon Review)

  "This book is just fantastic." ~Alys B. (Amazon Review)

  "Absolutely spectacular." ~Bella (Amazon Review)

  For Kasey Richardson. You go girl! I couldn’t do this without you! Never forget how awesome you are! I admire you so much!

  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks to my beta readers and the Rockstars. You guys are the best! There are so many to thank by name, more than I could count, but here are those who I want to called out specially for all they did to help this book come to life: Alencia Bates Salters, Alyssa Bird, Jean Bowden, Shell Bryce, Denise Fluhr, Heidi Hoffman, Jeanne Stone, Dottie Jones, Deb Julienne, Bridget Koan, Helen Loyal, Felicia Low Mikoll, Suzanne Mayer, Jodi Moore, Ashlee Murphy Beck, Judi Pflughoeft, Carol Pretorius, Kasey Richardson, Caryn Santee, Amber Ellison Shriver, Summer Steelman, Regina Thomas, and Linda Watson. Special thanks to my family, who I love with every fiber of my heart and soul. And to AER, who is my world. Love you so much, baby girl! And to Joe, who teaches me every day what romance and true love really is. I love you, babe!

  Copyright

  A Real Cowboy Always Trusts His Heart (a Wyoming Rebels novel). Copyright © 2019 by Stephanie Rowe

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-940968-82-7

  Print ISBN 13: 978-1-940968-83-4

  Publisher: Authenticity Playground, LLC

  Cover design © 2019 by Kelli Ann Morgan, Inspire Creative Services.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, disseminated, or transmitted in any form or by any means or for any use, including recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written consent of the author and/or the artist. The only exception is short excerpts or the cover image in reviews. Please be a leading force in respecting the right of authors and artists to protect their work. This is a work of fiction. All the names, characters, organizations, places and events portrayed in this novel or on the cover are either products of the author’s or artist's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author or the artist. There are excerpts from other books by the author in the back of the book.

  Chapter One

  It was the yellow daisies on the "help wanted" sign that got Zoey Wilson's attention.

  She turned her head as she jogged down the sidewalk opposite the little café, checking out the sign in the window. It looked hand painted, maybe by a kid. Bright colors.

  Handmade art. It had been so long since she'd thought of painting, of poster boards calling for decoration, even though she'd spent a lot of time with a brush in her hand when she was a kid.

  On a whim, she jogged across the street to the café, so she could see it better. She stopped in front of the sign, smiling when she saw it up close. Daisies. A few hearts. A shooting star.

  Definitely the work of a child who had no problems with stars being purple polka-dotted, and hearts being filled with butterflies. Smiling, she touched the glass, remembering a time when she hadn't cared about how things were supposed to be, or what the rules told her to do.

  How long ago that had been. How much she had changed. How much life had changed.

  Movement from inside caught her attention, and she looked up as a woman walked in through the swinging doors that led from the kitchen. The woman was about her age, singing and dancing as she wiped down the counter.

  God. When was the last time Zoey had felt like dancing? Or singing?

  Weight settled on her shoulders, and the joy she'd felt at the sign faded.

  The woman looked up, saw her, and waved at her to come in. Zoey waved back, but shook her head.

  Yes, she'd moved back to her hometown of Rogue Valley, Wyoming, to try to get herself back on track, but she wasn't ready to talk to anyone. She'd arrived late last night, woken up at four in the morning after a restless sleep, and had decided to go for a run instead of sitting in her depressing rented apartment, wondering how she'd gotten to this place.

  She had originally planned to go over to her brother Dane's house later in the morning to tell him that she'd arrived in town last night, two weeks ahead of schedule. Right now, however, in the pre-dawn light, she needed time to process
the fact that she was back in this small town of her youth that looked the same, and yet so different at the same time.

  She wasn't sure how to fit in here, and she certainly couldn't figure out why she'd decided this was the answer to the darkness that haunted her at every moment.

  She turned away—

  "Hey, come on in. I just opened." The woman from the café poked her head out the front door. "Coffee will be ready in a minute."

  "I'm all set, thanks." Even as she said it, Zoey caught the scent of fresh coffee, a rich, dark roast that smelled amazing. "What is that?"

  "A local brand. It's fantastic." The woman held the door open wider. "Come on in. You'll love it."

  "I didn't bring any money on my run—"

  The woman winked. "Free coffee to all first-timers. It's so good you'll be back every morning. I've created many addicts that way." She grinned. "I look sweet, but I'm really a ruthless mercenary with an entire town of minions."

  Zoey laughed, unable to resist the woman's warmth. "How do I say no to that?"

  "Perfect." The woman stepped back to let Zoey pass her. "My name's Lissa. You?"

  "Zoey."

  Lissa's eyebrows went up, and she got a thoughtful look on her face. "Not Dane's sister?"

  "Yes." Zoey tensed, not prepared to have to identify herself so soon. She wanted to be anonymous, which was kind of stupid, given that she'd moved back to her hometown, but that didn't change the fact that Lissa's identification felt like pressure she wasn't ready for. "You know Dane?"

  "Of course." Lissa grinned. "Everyone knows Dane."

  Everyone knows Dane. She supposed it made sense. When she'd left town, Dane had been just starting out as a cop, but now he was the sheriff. Of course Lissa would know him. While she'd been gone, Dane had made the town his own.

  "Come on." Lissa waved her in. "Grab a seat at the counter. Want an omelet?"

  "No, thanks. Coffee is good." The door jangled as she stepped inside, and she was greeted with the charming sound of country music from the ceiling speakers. She recognized the music of country superstar Travis Turner, the stage name for the youngest Stockton brother. She'd known him when he used to sit on the fence at Ol' Skip's ranch and sing, and now he'd gone platinum.

  He'd made his dreams come true, and she was happy for him. He was such a nice guy. All the Stocktons were, despite their rough childhood.

  The tables in the café were old and quaint. Mismatched wooden chairs, some painted, some not, gave the café a homey feeling. On each table was a mason jar filled with daisies and a paper mâché heart on a stick.

  It was so small town. So different than the life she'd lived in Boston for the last decade. That was why she'd come back, to get away from the life she'd trapped herself in. She wasn't going to stay forever. Just until she found her footing again. Until she found the courage to keep going. A day. A week. A month. A year. She didn't know for sure how long it would take, or what she needed to figure out. She just knew she couldn't keep going the way she had been, and she hadn't been able to think of any other place to go.

  Except this place was so different than she'd remembered. There were new stores, new developments, and at the same time, so much had stayed the same. But she was different, and that made everything look different than it had once appeared to a desperate hometown girl trying to run away from who she was.

  She sighed as she looked around. The café was so warm. So inviting. As if it were a giant hug that she could never quite get. She hadn't fit in here as a kid. What had made her think she'd fit in now that she'd been away for so long? Suddenly, she felt so weary. Exhausted. "I'll take the coffee to go."

  "No problem. It'll be ready in a couple minutes." Lissa patted the counter. "Have a seat."

  Zoey shifted restlessly, staying close to the front window. "I'm fine. I'll just wait here."

  "By the door?" Lissa raised her brows. "I don't bite, you know. I'm quite friendly, really."

  Yeah, okay, that sounded weird, right? A café full of empty seats, and she wanted to stand awkwardly by the door? "Yeah, okay, thanks." She made her way around the tables set with paper placements and charmingly mismatched salt and pepper shakers, and then slid onto the nearest stool.

  Lissa bustled around, getting items ready for opening. "So, you're back in town for good, eh?"

  "No." She shook her head quickly. "Just for a bit. Maybe six months, or so." Yeah, that sounded good. Long enough to get a break, but not so long that she'd be trapped here.

  Lissa raised her brows. "That's it? I thought you were moving back?"

  Zoey frowned. How much had Dane been telling people about her? Why did Lissa know so much? What did it matter what she did? "Just for a while."

  "You got a job while you're here?" Lissa pulled a tray of coffee mugs out from under the counter and set them next to the three percolating coffee machines.

  "No. I'm taking some time off—"

  "Want to work here? I saw you looking at the sign."

  Zoey frowned. "Here? I don't know anything about working in a café." In Boston, she'd been a partner at her own law firm. Her life had been late nights, paperwork, betrayal, and broken dreams. "I don't want to work right now. I'm burned out." Not just burned out. Lost. Broken. Exhausted. Crushed all the way to her soul? Yeah, those worked.

  "It's not work. It's a chance to socialize and chat with people." Lissa leaned on the counter, propping her chin up on her hands. "You'll catch on quick. It might be the best way to get reconnected with the community. Pretty much everyone in town comes through here over the course of the week. It's been how long since you lived here? A decade?"

  "Yeah, about." How had ten years gone by? It had been so fast, and so slow at the same time.

  Lissa set a carafe of cream on the counter, along with a dish of sweeteners. "Dane's been so excited for you to come back. And Ryder—"

  "Ryder?" Zoey sucked in her breath, her heart stuttering at the mention of the one man she hadn't been able to stop thinking about since the moment she'd decided to come home. "I thought he didn't live in town."

  "He doesn't. But he comes through from time to time." Lissa raised her brows. "He's complicated, isn't he?"

  "I don't know. I haven't talked to him since I left." She hadn't talked to him in ten years, but she'd thought of him. Constantly at first. Then less often. But as time to come home had neared, he'd been consuming her thoughts again.

  Ryder, the guy who'd been her big brother's best friend, her protector…until her senior prom, when a pity date by Ryder had turned into a night of firsts…her first kiss, her first slow dance, her first lover.

  God, how that night had haunted her.

  Lissa peered at her. "Are you okay?"

  "Yeah, sure." Zoey cleared her throat. "Is that coffee almost ready?"

  "Yep." Lissa didn't move. "Ryder's antsy for you to come back. I can see it in him."

  Her heart leapt. "Really?" At Lissa's curious look, Zoey quickly backpedaled, not wanting anything to get back to Ryder about her reaction. She knew how small towns worked. "Not that it matters, though. I mean, whatever, right? He's always been one of Dane's best friends." She quickly changed the subject. "How do you know Dane and Ryder so well?"

  Lissa gave her a knowing look, but went along. "Dane married my husband's sister, so we're all family now."

  "Your husband's sister?" Although Zoey hadn't come back for her brother's wedding, she knew he had married a Stockton. Jaimi was the only girl in a family of nine boys, one of which was Ryder.

  If Lissa was married to one of Jaimi's brothers, it meant she was Ryder's sister-in-law. Unless…Ryder was the Stockton she'd married! The thought made Zoey's stomach lurch. "Who's your husband? Ryder?" If Lissa said yes, Zoey felt like she would throw up. She hadn't heard that Ryder had gotten married, so she'd assumed he hadn't, but what if he had? What if he had some woman he adored who he'd pledged his life to? What if Lissa knew so much about Ryder because she'd married him? Nausea churned in Zoey's stomach, and she gr
ipped the edge of the counter.

  "Ryder?" Lissa laughed and waved her hand. "No, of course not. Not that he's not a great guy, of course, but hell, no."

  The surge of relief was so profound that Zoey slumped, almost gasping as she tried to catch her breath. Not Ryder. Her hands started shaking, and she hid them in her lap as she tried to cover up her reaction. "No? Which Stockton, then?"

  "Travis." Lissa's face softened with pure happiness. "You remember him, right?"

  The musician whose music was being piped in through the speakers. That made sense. "Yes, of course." Zoey remembered them all. Her brother had been best friends with the twins Ryder and Maddox Stockton, which meant that he knew the rest of the Stocktons as well. As Dane's little sister, she'd hung out with them a lot, and knew them all.