The Cowboy's Love Bet - Clean Cowboy Romance (Cornerstone Ranch Book 4) (eBook)

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Chapter 1
“The Anderson’s Australian shepherd is coming in for his annual vaccines in about twenty minutes, but they’re always early. Come get me from the back when they inevitably arrive.”
Sarah glanced up from the clipboard in her hand as she followed Claire from her office and into the hallway. “Of course.”
“I’m going to take my lunch early today, too. Millie has a special program at school and she wants me to be there.”
A smile spilled over Sarah’s face. “Millie is the cutest. Tell her I say good luck.”
Her boss returned the smile. “I’m going to do some inventory. See you when the Andersons get here.”
Sarah nodded. “I’ll file some paperwork out front so they’re not left waiting.”
Working for the head veterinarian in Colt, Texas had been a dream come true. Sarah had enough of city life. She’d practically burned out of all the fun it had to offer her when she’d been enrolled in college. Now she could let things slow down a little—not that she wasn’t still going out and doing stuff with the locals—she still didn’t like staying home every single Friday night.
She pulled out the chair behind the reception desk and took a seat. The town was small, but it appeared that this little clinic was serving everyone. Not a day went by when they weren’t swamped. Today was the first slow morning she’d experienced since moving to town.
The large aquarium in the middle of the room bubbled as the filter released oxygen into the tank. Fishes swam lazily from one side to the other. A small crustacean scurried along the layer of aquarium rocks.
Sarah turned to her computer and pulled up the first report she needed to update. A few minutes later, the front door opened, jingling the bell that hung overhead. “I’ll be right with you. Dr. Stone is in the back, but we were expecting you,” she called out before looking up at the new arrival.
The man approaching the front desk was familiar, but she couldn’t place him. He definitely wasn’t an Anderson. He wore a black cowboy hat and matching fitted t-shirt. His jeans hugged his form in ways that she probably shouldn’t have noticed. But it was the boyish grin he sported that caught her off guard the most.
She stood, offering him her best welcoming smile. “Good morning. Sorry, I thought you were someone else. What can I do for you?” She glanced around him, expecting to see a dog on a leash or a cat contained in a travel case. When she didn’t, she turned her attention out the front window but didn’t see a horse trailer from where she stood. Her eyes shifted back to the charming cowboy expectantly.
He leaned his side against the tall reception desk, his elbow on the surface. “I came to see you.”
Sarah was only momentarily caught off guard. “I’m sorry, have we met?” It was possible. He was familiar. But something told her that she would have remembered someone so outwardly flirtatious. Guys like this one were everywhere in the city—especially at the clubs where she liked to hang out with her friends. They were a dime a dozen—only out for a good time.
If that was what he was here for, he’d be sorely disappointed. Those days were behind her. He winked at her and flashed another smile that probably got him everything he wanted. He touched the tip of his hat. “Briefly.”
She frowned, searching her mind for when they might have met. She’d bumped into several clients around town but it was hard to keep them all straight. Sarah returned to her seat and smiled up at him. “I hate to break it to you, but it must not have been a great interaction because I don’t remember.”
He held a hand to his heart in mock pain. “You wound me.”
Sarah snickered but turned to her computer. “And anyone who would have met me would know that trying to hit on me at my job isn’t going to work. We are always swamped.”
The charming cowboy looked around the empty waiting area then lifted a brow when his gaze cut to hers.
She felt the warmth spread across her face but quashed it quickly. “Clearly we’re having a slow moment right now. But in the next ten minutes or so, we’ll have several appointments scheduled back-to-back so we can get them all in before our lunch break.”
He leaned closer to her, causing her to meet his flirtatious eyes. “Oh, good. I’d hate for you to miss your lunch break.”
“Oh?” she asked coyly. “Why is that?”
“Because then you wouldn’t be able to go out with me.”
Sarah snorted, giving him an incredulous look. “I beg your pardon?”
He gave her that smile again, the one that could set butterflies swirling in her stomach. Thankfully, she was immune. He was exactly what she didn’t need in her life right now. Though, he did give her the feeling that he would have fit right in with her friends back home. The cowboy shifted so he rested both his forearms on the counter. “What do you say,” his eyes dipped to her nametag, “Sarah?”
She smirked, studying him as if she’d be able to see every secret he had hidden. Of course she couldn’t—no one could do that. But his gaze didn’t waver for even a second. That was a point in his favor. Still, she wasn’t interested in starting anything. The long nights of staying out and having fun didn’t hold as much appeal. And she definitely wasn’t interested in something serious. “Unfortunately,” she started, but he cut her off.
“Oh, sweetheart, don’t use that word,” he groaned.
Her smile tugged at her lips at the pet name. Normally it would have bothered her. Guess she was changing. “As I was saying, I’m not interested in anything serious. I’ve just moved here, and I would rather get my bearings.”
“Perfect,” he crooned. “I’m not interested in anything serious either. Why would anyone settle down when they could spend their time having fun?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ve been there, done that. Not really into casual, either.”
He huffed. “How do you know if you don’t give it a try? And I mean with me?” He rose his brows suggestively. Dang, this guy played hardball.
“I would wager this sort of behavior usually gets you what you want,” she murmured, turning her focus to the report on the computer, though not really seeing it.
“Usually,” he confirmed. There was something in the way he said it. The man exuded confidence and charisma. “So… is it working?”
She bit back her smile. Would it be so bad if she let this guy take her to lunch? There were worse things than to let a man pay for a meal. And it wasn’t like she was leading him on. Based on everything she knew about guys like this one, he’d lose interest soon enough. Her eyes flicked up to meet his. “You have me at a disadvantage. You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”
His lips curled with the attractive kind of confidence that had gotten her into trouble before. “I’ll tell you at lunch.”
This time she laughed. “And where will we be eating? Hypothetically speaking?”
“Hypothetically? Let’s see. Where would I take a woman who has no interest in going out for fun and no interest in being serious?” He shrugged. “I guess you’d have to let me pick you up and show you.”
Curiosity prickled in the back of her mind. How was it that he could pique her interest so easily when she’d already said she was going to take it easy for the first several months?
Because she was a sucker for guys like this one even though they were trouble with a capital T. She tilted her head, knowing the answer already but not wanting to make it easy for him. “If I were to say yes…” she drawled, “then what would that entail exactly?” She spun her seat a little this way and that. “Especially considering that I don’t have any interest in this going further than one date?”
He arched a brow. His dark eyes seemed to darken a little more but whether with mischief or something deeper, she couldn’t tell. “Perhaps you shouldn’t make any decisions before you see what I could offer.”
She shook her head with a laugh. “One date. You can pick me up at noon.”
He rapped his fingers on the countertop. “We’ll see.” Then he tapped the rim of his cowboy hat. “I’ll see you in a few hours.” He turned on his heel and made it to the door before she called after him.
“You didn’t give me your name.”
“It’s Caleb,” he called back.
Caleb. That name was definitely familiar. She blamed her lack of memory on the sleepless nights she’d been having since moving here. They weren’t due to anything other than being so busy she could barely get any shut-eye. There was a lot to do at the old farmhouse she’d purchased. Windows needed to be replaced. The house needed to be painted. Carpet needed to be installed.
Who was she kidding? She could use a night out—maybe several. No one in this small town had been this forward and she found she’d missed it. Just a lunch date with someone who could flirt like he’d won an Olympic medal in it.
“Did I hear the bell?”
Sarah jumped and turned to find Claire standing in the hallway leading to the kennels. “I could have sworn I heard someone come in.”
“Actually, he just left.”
Claire glanced at the door then back to Sarah. “Oh? What did they need? New client?”
Sarah’s cheeks warmed. “I don’t know, actually. He came in to see me.” She didn’t think it was possible, but Claire’s brows lifted even more, hiding beneath her bangs. “What did he want?”
The heat in Sarah’s cheeks intensified. Back home when she talked about her social life, it hadn’t been like this. She’d easily relayed her romantic exploits. But something was different now that it was just her and Claire. Besides the woman being her new boss, she probably knew everyone in town. It would be best not to give much in the way of details. “He wanted to ask me out.”
Claire grinned and moved across the room in only a couple long strides. “That’s exciting. Who is it? Do I know them?”
Sarah turned to the computer. “Not sure. He seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place him.” She let out an embarrassed laugh. “I used to be really good with faces. But I guess that’s what I get for not taking care of myself. I really need to get more sleep.”
“Well?” Claire prodded. “What’s his name?”
Sarah bit the inside of her cheeks and shot one quicker look at Claire. “Actually, I’d rather not tell you if that’s okay.”
Claire looked surprised, but thankfully not hurt by the statement.
“It’s nothing to do with you,” Sarah insisted, “it’s got more to do with the fact that I don’t want anything serious and if you know him, I don’t want things to get… awkward.” She grimaced. “Is that ridiculous?”
“Actually…” Claire smiled warmly. “I get it. This town can feel big, but it’s also so small sometimes. You don’t have to share anything you don’t want to. But you did accept?”
Sarah nodded with a sharp laugh. “It’s probably a really bad idea. But…” She shrugged. “I guess sometimes they’re necessary.”
“True,” Claire laughed. “Well, this is exciting. I hope you know that even though I won’t make you tell me his name, I want every single detail you can spare to give me. It’s been a while since I had those exciting moments—you know, the ones where your heart feels like it’s going to burst right out of your chest and you wonder if you’re in love.”
Sarah scoffed. “Oh, that’s definitely not going to happen. I have no intention of anything serious.”
Claire gave her a look that seemed to say that Sarah didn’t have control over that sort of thing. Then she nodded toward the front door. “Right on schedule. The Andersons are here. Check him in and then put him in exam room two.”
“You got it.”

(Prequel) The Cowboy's Tattered Heart
1. The Cowboy's Second Chance
2. The Cowboy's Forbidden Love
3. The Cowboy's City Girl
4. The Cowboy's Love Bet
5. The Cowboy's Redemption

View the complete reading order and book links.

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