cover image Colorado Pickup Man

Colorado Pickup Man

Jacquie Greenfield, . . Five Star, $26.95 (361pp) ISBN 978-1-59414-615-2

Though billed as a contemporary western romance, this sexy horse opera—loaded with tension, tearjerker moments and corny dialogue (“Dang, lady. You scared the hair right off my chest”)—also provides a surprisingly good mystery. Debra Walker is a 24-year-old cowgirl burdened with guilt and debt after her father dies and leaves her with a failing horse ranch. She blames herself for her father’s death and the ranch’s failure, and sells everything to move to the city and take a job with a tech business her father used to own. Then she meets J.D. Garrison, a hunky horse ranch owner who serves as her savior and love interest. Debra and J.D. are instantly smitten with each other, and as they flirt and tease, they discover her new boss, Robbie Nelson, is a womanizing crook with dark plans for the business and darker plans for Debra. As the sexual tension builds, so do the mystery of Debra’s father’s death (a strange car crash that also crippled J.D.’s best friend) and Robbie’s corporate shenanigans. The romance is well-constructed and entertaining, but the mystery wins out as the strongest draw. (Oct.)