The Cowgirl's Surprise Match Read online

  Mace checked in on Zurie again. She was knocked out cold.

  An hour later, he was showered, shaved and dressed in a casual long-sleeve black pullover and dark jeans. If Zurie wasn’t alert enough to drive, he’d take her home. He still had plenty of time to drop her off and get to the precinct to change into his uniform before the start of his shift.

  In the living room, Zurie snuggled into the pillow and mumbled in her sleep. From the smile on her face, she was having a really good dream. Too bad he had to wake her. Crashing on his couch for the night while he was at work was an option, but knowing her, she’d refuse.

  Mace leaned down and shook her gently by the shoulder, but she didn’t wake up. Not wanting to startle her, he spoke softly. “Zurie.”

  Blinking sleepily up at him, she laid her palm to his chest. Her lips parted with a sigh. “Mace...”

  Zurie raised her head, slid her hand up to his nape and kissed him.

  * * *

  TILLBRIDGE STABLES:

  These ranchers are roping horses—and hearts!

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for choosing The Cowgirl’s Surprise Match as your new escape into the world of love and happily-ever-after.

  The responsibility of running Tillbridge Stable and Guesthouse is one Zurie Tillbridge has taken on with pride. Her accomplishments are many. But the work of maintaining her family’s legacy hasn’t been easy.

  When she decides to take a few weeks off for rest and relaxation, as well as to help plan her cousin’s secret wedding, the last thing she expects is Mason “Mace” Calderone coming into her life. As Mace challenges her belief that maintaining her family legacy and having fun can’t coexist, Zurie gives him a new definition of home.

  Embracing the good of home and family, in all its unexpected forms, and enjoying special moments and the people who are a part of them are things Zurie and Mace learn in this story. I must admit, they reminded me of the importance of those things in my own life. I love it when characters teach me a thing or two!

  I also love hearing from readers. Instagram, Facebook and my newsletter are three of my favorite places to connect. You can also find out more about me and the books in the Tillbridge Stables series, as well as upcoming stories connected to them, at ninacrespo.com.

  Zurie and Mace are waiting for you. Sit back, relax and join them on their journey to finding love.

  Wishing you all the best!

  Nina

  The Cowgirl’s Surprise Match

  Nina Crespo

  Nina Crespo lives in Florida, where she indulges in her favorite passions—the beach, a good glass of wine, date night with her own real-life hero and dancing. Her lifelong addiction to romance began in her teens while on a “borrowing spree” in her older sister’s bedroom, where she discovered her first romance novel. Let Nina’s sensual contemporary stories feed your own addiction for love, romance and happily-ever-after. Visit her at ninacrespo.com.

  Books by Nina Crespo

  Harlequin Special Edition

  Tillbridge Stables

  The Cowboy’s Claim

  Her Sweet Temptation

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Excerpt from A Secret Between Us by Judy Duarte

  Chapter One

  Zurie Tillbridge opened the digital planner on her phone knowing exactly what to expect—“busy” written in bold letters across every day of the week.

  As she scrolled through the tasks necessary to keep Tillbridge Horse Stable and Guesthouse at its best, her heartbeat consumed her chest and a small wave of burning unease churned the coffee she’d drunk earlier that morning in her stomach. The slightly off feeling had plagued her for over a week. She never got sick, not even with the common cold. What was going on?

  Unbuttoning the navy blazer of her business suit, she sank into the beige chair and smoothed back a strand of her long black hair from her overly warm brown cheek. As the welcome cool air in her physician’s private office seeped through her white blouse, she closed her eyes a moment, shutting out the slightly cluttered wood desk in front of her and the abstract paintings with splashes of orange hanging on the cream walls.

  The side door opened, and Dr. Lily Westin walked in. Crisp and serene in a white lab coat, the midthirties brunette with a rosy complexion exuded energy.

  Zurie waited until she sat down behind the desk. “So what’s the verdict?”

  “You’ll live. I won’t have your lab results for a couple of days, but my guess is your problems are stress and plain old exhaustion.” Lily’s green eyes held traces of humor and the candor of a friend. “What you need is a Mr. Tall, Hot and Irresistible in your life keeping you distracted so you’ll stay where you belong right now—in bed, catching up on sleep.”

  A breath whooshed out of Zurie. Whew! She was just tired. But Lily’s suggestion was hilarious. Even if she had time to lie around and do nothing, which she didn’t, where would she find Mr. Tall, Hot and Irresistible in Bolan?

  The image of a certain dark-haired guy flashed in her mind.

  No way. Not him.

  A laugh fueled another wave of relief as Zurie picked up her black designer tote from the chair beside her and put it on her lap. “That’s an interesting diagnosis. Since Mr. Tall, Hot and Irresistible isn’t available, are you giving me a B vitamin shot or a magic pill instead?”

  “A shot or a magic pill won’t do it. You need a break from Tillbridge.”

  “I have a stable and guesthouse to run.”

  “And you have capable people who can do more so you can do less.”

  “I can’t.” Zurie dropped her phone in her bag. “Especially now that there’s a movie being filmed on the property.”

  Over the past few months, the filming of the sci-fi Western Shadow Valley had increased exposure and revenue for the stable, but it had also demanded more of everyone’s time.

  Lily leveled her gaze on Zurie. “Your body is trying to tell you something, and you need to start listening.”

  “Okay. I’ll work on getting more sleep.”

  “What happens if Tillbridge loses you?”

  Zurie’s phone chimed in with a call, but the concern on Lily’s face stopped her from answering it. “That would never happen.”

  “It could if you don’t start taking better care of yourself.” Lily got up and sat in the chair beside Zurie. “You’re not eating properly. Your blood pressure is higher than it should be, and you’re probably working on an ulcer. If you don’t make some changes, there’s
a possibility the next time we have this conversation, you’ll be in a hospital bed. You’re only thirty-seven. You’re too young to fall apart like this. Slow down before it’s too late.”

  The voice mail alert pinged on Zurie’s phone as Lily’s words resonated. “You mean don’t be like my dad.”

  Before her father, Mathew, had passed away, everyone had urged him to slow down, but he’d pointed to his full desk as the reason he couldn’t.

  Natural causes had been the official ruling. Some believed that as a widower, he’d worked himself into an early grave trying to hide from the pain of losing his childhood sweetheart, but still...

  The image of her father burdened by stress wove through the tapestry of Zurie’s memories like a too-bright thread, standing out. “If I had insisted he take time off, if I had begged, he might be alive today.”

  Lily lightly squeezing her arm alerted Zurie that she’d spoken aloud what she believed in her heart. “I know losing your father was a tough blow, but you can’t blame yourself. No one knows what could have changed the past. I think the bigger question is, if your father were here right now, what would he tell you to do?”

  Chapter Two

  Zurie sat in the large brown leather chair that had once belonged to her father.

  Sun from the window behind her glared off the financial spreadsheet displayed on the wide-screen computer on her desk. A few files and papers sat in the in-box on the left far corner of the desk while the out-box on the opposite side was full.

  Not letting work pile up. Leaving nothing undone. That was her life as the co-owner of the stable. But today, for the first time in a long while, one uncertainty remained. The answer to the question Lily had asked her earlier that morning.

  “What would he tell you to do?”

  He’d tell her that Tillbridge had to come first. But if she didn’t slow down and take a break as Lily suggested, she could end up letting down everyone who counted on her.

  A knock at the door pulled Zurie from her thoughts. The meeting. She’d lost track of time. “Come in.”

  Her cousin Tristan, the stable manager and also a co-owner of Tillbridge, entered the office carrying his phone and a notepad. With his close-cut black hair and the strong angles of his brown face, he reminded her of their twin fathers, Mathew and Jacob.

  From the faint smudges of dust on his standard work attire—black work boots, jeans and short-sleeved navy pullover—he’d come straight from the stable or one of the pastures.

  He tipped his head toward the round meeting table on the other side of the room. “You ready?”

  “Yes.” Zurie took her padfolio from the left-hand drawer and grabbed her phone from the desk.

  As she joined Tristan, she deciphered his slightly puzzled expression. She was usually already at the table, counting down the minutes to their 10:00 a.m. Wednesday meeting while squeezing in emails, calling her remote assistant, Kayla, and planning for the next meeting afterward.

  Another knock sounded at the door and her sister, Rina, breezed in. “Good morning.”

  She laid her phone and keys on the table. Just like Tristan, she had on jeans, plus she wore a lemon-yellow T-shirt with the white coffee cup logo and name of the café she owned, Brewed Haven. A matching headband held back her long braids, but the sunny color wasn’t as eye-catching as the light of happiness in her brown eyes and the natural glow in her cheeks.

  As Rina sat down, Tristan chuckled.

  “What?” Rina shrugged at him. “Why are you looking at me? I’m not late.”

  “No reason. How long is he in town?”

  She gave him a surprised look. “A couple of weeks. How did you know Scott was here? He flew in late last night.”

  Tristan winked at her. “Lucky guess.”

  Rina laughed. “How’s Chloe?”

  A huge smile took over his face. “She’s great.”

  Feeling like the odd person out, Zurie opened her padfolio and powered up her computer tablet. A few months ago, when she’d made the last-minute deal with the movie production company to film Shadow Valley at Tillbridge, she’d never envisioned Tristan and Rina finding their significant others because of it.

  Tristan had fallen for Chloe Daniels, one of the lead actors in the film, while Rina had gone head over heels for Scott Halsey, a stuntman who’d been a part of the crew until a knee injury had caused him to bow out.

  Things were progressing in Tristan’s and Rina’s relationships. Soon they could both face a difficult choice—building their lives in California with the people they’d fallen in love with or staying at Tillbridge.

  Images from her past she’d closed away about her own choices tried to get out. Zurie slammed the door shut. Tillbridge was more than enough to fill her life.

  It was time to kick off the meeting. “Let’s get started.”

  Zurie shared the information she’d received at the last chamber of commerce meeting in Bolan. An increase in tourism was anticipated later that year in the fall and winter months. Unfortunately, around the same time, major construction was planned on the primary road leading to Tillbridge, making the pothole-infested back road the main detour.

  The route shift would surely deter the locals from visiting Pasture Lane Restaurant or holding events at the stable. Not to mention the bad impression it would make on the tourists. Luckily, at the mayor’s weekly business mixer, she’d had a side conversation with him about it, and the mayor had promised to see if he could use his influence to change the order of construction to the back road being repaired first.

  Tristan followed with an update on the stable and pasture management. The movie production was running behind. To accommodate the needs of the extended filming schedule, taking on new boarding and horse riding lesson clients was being delayed for at least four more weeks.

  Rina took notes on her phone. Although she didn’t participate in the day-to-day running of the stable, she was an equal third partner and still had a voice in the running of Tillbridge. “Are potential clients willing to wait that long or are we going to lose their business?”

  “Most of them are willing to wait.” Tristan sat back in the chair. “But no doubt we’ll lose some of them.”

  “What if we offered an incentive?” Rina asked.

  As Zurie worked through the financials of an incentive program in her mind, she couldn’t stop a hand twitch. She missed her coffee. The caffeine jolt would have given her an energy boost and false comfort that she had the stamina to deal with the adjustments the film production was causing. But she had to lay off caffeine for a few weeks—doctor’s orders.

  As Rina and Tristan discussed possible incentives, Zurie remained in listening mode.

  This time last year, their meetings had resembled a civil exchange between strangers instead of family. Actually, she’d been the stranger. Rina and Tristan had always gotten along. Lies and so many misunderstandings had nearly destroyed her relationship with them.

  A few years ago, she’d believed Tristan had abandoned Tillbridge to pursue his bull-riding career, but then she’d learned about the sacrifices he’d made for their family. And with Rina—she’d failed to notice that her little sister didn’t need her to resolve her problems anymore.

  Memories of the illuminating and humbling conversations Zurie had had with Tristan and Rina over the past few months caused an internal wince. She’d been wrong about both of them, but it had been so easy to critique their actions and try to fix everything on her own.

  As the oldest by five years over Tristan and almost ten years older than Rina, she’d often slipped into a parent-like role, especially when they were growing up. While her parents and her uncle, Jacob, who was Tristan’s father, had handled business at Tillbridge, it had been her responsibility to get Tristan and Rina up and ready for school in the mornings and pack their lunches. At night, she’d helped them with their homework, and
on weekends, when she wasn’t practicing for the next barrel-racing competition or competing in one, she’d supervised them as they’d completed the small tasks they’d been assigned at the stable.

  Sure, Tristan and Rina were adults now, but she still had the instinct to look out for them. Asking for more of their assistance at the stable so she could focus on improving her health felt...wrong. Tristan and Rina had experienced rough patches in their lives in the past, and now they were both so happy. How could she do as Lily recommended without getting in the way of that and causing them to worry about her?

  “I think those three incentives will work,” Tristan said.

  “I agree,” Rina added. “What do you think, Zurie?”

  Shoot! I missed everything they said. “I feel the same. As long as we keep an eye on expenses and continue to deliver top-notch customer service, we should be fine.” Zurie closed her padfolio. “Unless there’s anything else, I think we’re d—”

  A knock sounded at the door.

  “Right on time.” Tristan stood. “I asked someone to join us.” He opened the door.

  Chloe walked in, her dark curly hair bouncing near her shoulders. A similar glow to the one Rina had earlier lit up Chloe’s pretty light brown face. Smiling next to Tristan in a fitted white T-shirt, skinny jeans, and high-heeled beige sandals, they were the perfect match as a couple.

  He wrapped an arm around Chloe. “We have something important to tell you.”

  “Really?” Rina practically happy danced in her seat. “What?”

  “We’re engaged!” Tristan and Chloe said it at the same time as Chloe showed the sparkling diamond on her left hand.

  Rina sprang from her seat. “Congratulations!” She enveloped both of them in a hug, then turned to Chloe. “Girl, let me see that ring.”

  Zurie stood but hesitated in joining them, not quite sure where to interject herself into the moment.

  Tristan’s gaze met hers, and the happiness in his eyes was an irresistible invitation.

  “Congratulations.” Smiling, Zurie hugged Chloe first, then embraced Tristan. “So when’s the big day?”