Make Mine a Cowboy

Life throws a curveball at two people who thought they had their futures figured out in Pine’s sweet second Meadow Valley romance (after My One and Only Cowboy). Six months ago, 29-year-old California rancher Ben Callahan learned he had inherited the gene for early-onset Alzheimer’s and put all his plans on hold. Then he’s told there was a mix-up at the lab, and he doesn’t have the gene after all. Suddenly, he has the chance to put down roots, build the house he’s always wanted and find someone to settle down with— like Charlotte North, the New Yorker he recently had a no-strings-attached fling with and hasn’t stopped thinking about. When Charlotte returns to town to care for her injured grandmother, she can’t deny her lingering feelings for Ben, but she’s recently lined up her dream job at a pediatrics office in New York. Charlotte and Ben agree to just be friends, but pretend to date to avoid Charlotte’s grandmother’s matchmaking. The fake-dating is an unnecessary blip, but Pine impresses with the unexpected way she resolves the conflict of their living situations. Both new and returning readers will be pleased. This edition also contains a bonus novel, Hometown Cowboy by Sara Richardson. Agent: Emily Kim, Prospect Agency. (Aug.)