Friendly Valley Romance (Books 1-3) EBOOKS

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cowboys, small town, Christmas romance, happy endings, opposites attract, dark secret

Enjoy the first three books in the Friendly Valley Romance series! Bundle contains Frozen Cowboy, Crooked Cowboy, and Christmas Cowboy.

Friendly Valley is a quaint mountain town where love is always in the air. Rugged cowboys with warm hearts keep the ladies happy! There is always love in the air in Friendly Valley!

(The books will be delivered VIA email immediately after purchase.)

Prologue

It was Tyler’s last day in Friendly—at least for the next few months. Fresh out of high school, he was heading to Iowa to work for his uncle. To celebrate his new found adulthood, he had headed to Hometown Heroes and sat at the front counter where the local ranchers gathered for early morning breakfast. Even though he had little information to share cattle or debate the benefits of grass fed beef and conventional feed beef, sitting there was a rite of passage. The high schoolers and ranch hands never sat at the counter. Tyler planned to have his own ranch at some point, and because he was headed to work on his uncle’s farm for the summer, he felt like he’d earned a spot. As he took the last bites of his omelet, he noticed a man who clearly did not belong in Friendly or at Hometown Heroes. He was sitting in the corner of the diner, mashing the buttons on his cellphone. The man was clearly out of his element, with stringy black, slicked-back hair, skinny jeans, and a blue cardigan. Tyler watched the man smack his hand against his forehead before tossing the phone onto the table.

Tyler settled his tab and headed to the table where the stranger sat.

“We don’t really get cell phone reception up here. You’re gonna need to head down to the valley for that.” Tyler said.

“Really? Are you serious? How do people live here?” the man said, adjusting his wireframe glasses.

“Everyone knows everyone, so we don’t need that type of thing.”

“Well, maybe you can help me. I got turned around, and I am trying to get to a road that will take me back to the interstate. My car stalled, and I do not know what’s wrong with it. Is there a mechanic around here?”

Tyler smiled and said, “Yeah. Plenty of mechanics around here. If you’re looking for a shop, there’s only one, but it won’t be open until Monday.”

“It’s Saturday! How can that be?”

“Well, most of us know how to fix our own stuff. The guy that runs it is just a part-time mechanic. Tell you what. Let’s get some coffee and head out.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be? You drink coffee, right? Seems like you could use some. After that, we’ll go look at your car.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’m headed out of town, so it’s on the way.”

“Thank you! Wow! These small towns really are amazing!”

Tyler chuckled and headed to the counter to order two coffees to-go.

“You’re the best. Hey, you’ve got quite a face. Have you ever thought about auditioning?”

“Auditioning for what?”

“Movies. You’ve got a great face. I could see you being the lead in a film.”

“Nobody from Hollywood comes here.” Tyler said.

“Until the Hollywood guy’s car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and some guy helps you out. Listen, you tire of living up here in Okieville, make your way out to Hollywood, and I’ll get you into movies.”

“I’m headed out to Iowa to help my uncle, but okay. If I ever end up in an alternative universe, I’ll look you up, but for now, let’s just get your car back on the road.”

“Yeah, okay, but take my card. Seriously. Take it.”

The man held a laminated card out, shoving it toward Tyler. Garland Grandchester was written in a thin, fancy script. An email address and telephone were beneath the name. Tyler had no desire to be in movies, but he slipped the card into his pocket.

Chapter One

Stacy was waiting for the last report of the day to pop into her email when the phone rang. She hesitated. Should she answer this call or not? By the fourth ring, the guilt had gotten to her. She clicked on the phone and said, “Mom, can I call you back in a few?”

Robin Timmons ignored her daughter’s question and said, “Guess what happened?”

“Mom-”

“Your Great Aunt Ethel passed away.”

“Okay. I’m sorry to hear that, but I don’t think I’ve met her.”

“Oh, you met her several times, and she adored you. Remember going up to her place in the mountains?”

“Mom, I have to-”

“She left you something special. She knew she was going, so we’ve been talking, and since you are one of the few descendants Ethel had, we set something up for you.”

“I can call you back in-”

“You’ve finally got a ticket out of that terrible city. Have you ever considered living in a nice little town where everybody knows your name? “

Not again! Stacy thought, rolling her eyes.

“Mom, I love living in Chicago.”

“Stacy, it’s such a dangerous place. Just wait until you hear what Aunt Ethel has gifted to you. Since you were her first great-grandniece, she left you her yak farm.”

Stacy wasn’t sure how to react. A yak farm? Was that even a thing? She’d been born and bred in Illinois and currently lived a life of great comfort in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood. A farm sounded like a nightmare — and yaks? Why would her mother think she’d ever consider taking on something like that?

“Um, why would she leave me a farm of any kind?”

“You probably don’t remember going there, but we took a trip to her place when you were young. You were probably two or three. It’s a beautiful place in the middle of a bunch of mountains. There was a monastery nearby, but they closed up shop a few years ago and gave the land to a university that promised to use it for agriculture. So, there won’t be a lot of urban sprawl. Anyway, the land there is worth a lot now, but I bet you’d love living there.”

“How many acres are we talking about?”

“Not sure. Do you have any vacation time you can use? “

Stacy rolled her eyes but refrained from saying anything. Yes, she had vacation time, no she hadn’t really planned on taking a vacation, and she definitely didn’t want to use vacation time to head to a farm.

“Mom, I’m almost done for the night. Can I-”

“How did your date go the other night?”

Ugh. Stacy had hoped to get off the phone before that question came up. The date had been horrific. After months of carefully screening various online dating profiles, she had finally agreed to go out with a lawyer from Skokie, who suggested they go to dinner. After a quick public meeting at a local cafe, Stacy felt comfortable enough to take him up on his offer. She’d taken her time picking out a form fitting red dress with an elegant wrap for her bare shoulders and a pair of matching red stilettos. Her date had been forty minutes late, and all he talked about at dinner was sports. Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks. She’d been bored out of her mind, and at the end of the meal, he said he thought it would be a good idea to split the cost.

“Yeah, that didn’t go so well. Still in infinite spinsterhood here.”

“Oh, Stace. Are you asking for too much? I mean, this guy is a lawyer, right?”

“Yes, but he wasn’t much of a gentleman, and he has an obsession with sports.”

“But is that a reason to kick him out of the running? It’s okay for a man to like sports. You can go shopping while he watches whatever game is on.”

“Um, I can go shopping without having a guy vegging out on the couch watching football.”

Stacy hated it when her mother made it sound like her dating life was some type of competition. She felt like it was time to recognize that the success she’d experienced in her career was going to prevent her from marrying. She had two cats to keep her company and plenty of money. Snuggles with her kitties or a quick trip to Cabo San Lucas usually kept her from getting too lonely.

“Mom, I’m happy with my life. I don’t need a man to make me whole.”

“I just want you to have something like what we have.”

“You and dad are part of a dying breed. No one is married for forty years these days.”

“Stace, your father is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I just want you to experience the same type of love.”

“There are times when I want a companion, but if he isn’t up to my standards, I’d rather be alone.”

“Standards won’t keep you warm at night. I hope you find the right guy soon. That will stop you from thinking about love as something you can track on a spreadsheet.”

Stacy laughed.

“Listen, Ma. If he can’t score 100% on my preliminary quiz, he’s not worth it. That thing has saved me from some real losers. I won’t stand for you talking bad about my dating spreadsheet.”

The dating spreadsheet, which contained twenty questions., had become a running joke for her mother, but Stacy thought it was brilliant. She’d slip them into the initial conversations with men and quietly rule them out based on their response. At thirty-five, Stacy had never had a serious relationship. Over the years, she’d dated, but none of her dates had turned into anything long term. Stacy didn’t feel like she was too picky. She just didn’t think what she was looking for was out there.

“Mom, listen. The workday is almost over, but I’ve got a few more things to do. I have some vacation time, so I can head to the yak farm, clean things up, and get the thing on the market.”

“Okay. I’ll let you go, but before I do, when do you think you’ll get out of there? Do you think you’ll want some company? We should talk about this new property you own. Think about that. Another piece of property. It might be a good idea to hold on to it. Can I come over tonight?”

 Stacy felt her cheeks rise. Her mother truly adored her, and she was hands down, Stacy’s best friend.

“Well, the answer to your first question is I don’t know, but the second question-absolutely. I would love to have your company, but no more bugging me about finding a man. It ain’t happening. Tonight, we’ll have ice cream and watch a movie. No more about men, or yaks, or where I live. Okay?”

“Sometime in the future, you’re going to say, Ma, you were right about everything.”

“Probably so. But not tonight.”

* * *

Stacy’s mom arrived just after seven. The two watched Notting Hill and ate red velvet ice cream and kettle corn. Her mother sobbed at the part where Julia Roberts asks for love. 

“That’s what it’s all about. Love.” She said, squeezing Stacy’s hand. 

“No Mom. It’s about money.” 

Her mother stopped crying and stared at Stacy.

“I’m joking! Come on, Ma! Stop being so serious.” 

The two burst into laughter. After the movie, Robin steered the conversation.

“Now, let’s talk about what’s going on with this great new property you’ve inherited. You know, your aunt sure loved those yaks. She moved up to Friendly Valley back in the late 1970s and we all thought she was crazy. “

“What made her decide on a yak farm? “

“Well, that wasn’t the initial goal. She moved up there to get away from the city. She’d been a biologist, working in a lab at a big university, and she just wanted a change. I think she started the yak farm just before she retired. “

“Wow. That’s a bold move.”

“Yep. Very bold.”

“What was she like?”

“She was wonderful. A real spitfire. She’d gone through a rigorous program of study where she was the only black student and one of only two women. It was quite a feat. But after that, she took the job at the university. It was rough. Eventually, she got tired of all the stress. Academia is so political, and that’s just not who Ethel was. She was all about merit and logic. When the university shifted to a more politically correct stance, she wanted out. People argued with her about the decision to move so far away and to a place where she didn’t know anyone, but Ethel refused to hear it. She definitely had her own mind.”

“How come we didn’t visit her more often?”

“It’s a long hike. Your father doesn’t like to fly, so we were always taking road trips. Ethel lived up in the mountains. We had never seen mountains like that and neither one of us was that keen on driving up there. The time we went to her place, you played with the chicken and drank water straight from a stream on the back side of her property. You were young and don’t remember it, but we were there, and she loved having you around. She said you were going to be something great.”

“Wow. I wish I’d known her better.”

“Over the years, she became more of a recluse. I’d send cards, and she would respond at times, but she just was busy and living her life. When she got sick, we started talking on the phone a lot. She kept asking about you.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Robin threw her hands in the air. “I did. You told me you were too busy to call her.”

“I don’t…” Stacy was about to protest, but caught herself. She faintly remembered her mother asking if she had time for a phone call from a distant relative.

“I guess I kind of remember something about a phone call. I wish I’d taken the time.”

“Yeah, but we can’t change the past. We can only make a difference with the time we have now.”

“You’re right. I need to make more time for people and work less.”

“Agreed. Ethel was a great person. She would have loved to hear from you, but I know she is smiling down on you now. That’s another reason it would be wonderful for you to carry on her legacy.”

“I see what you’re doing. Listen, I love Chicago. I’m going to book a flight, check out the place, see what needs to be done, and go from there.”

“Great! Who knows... Maybe you’ll love it.”