Addison Reed doesn’t want to believe her foreman and family friend is responsible for her missing stock, but the man isn’t making it easy. Hoping to prove he’s innocent, she follows him into a seedy bar and finds herself in a bigger mess…kissing a complete stranger.Drifter Sawyer Dawson never settled anywhere for long. In fact, landing a job on a ranch as the new foreman just fell into his lap, … lap, and he figured Montana was as good a place as any to settle down for a while. Of course, sticking around might have a little something to do with a sexy brunette with an affinity for kissing cowboys.
more
The Drifter’s Kiss
By: Devon McKay
Narrated by: Jacki Swinford
I love a good cowboy story but this one gave me a surprise! Women ranchers are not prevalent, but Addison is the one in charge of her ranch and she is so resourceful! She is noticing that her cattle are disappearing and has an idea of who is responsible. She does a little snooping, at a local bar and ends up kissing a stranger to keep her cover. Little does she know how this stranger will effect the outcome of her problem. Sawyer is a drifter and has found work at the ranch next door to Addison. A man with a past, but with a good sense of right and wrong, he is ready to help. These two have more than just attraction to each other, but a true partnership. Will they be able to beat the odds and win at both business and love? I loved this novella! It has a little of everything. Addison is smart and is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her family legacy. Sawyer is complex, with a checkered past, and a good heart. These two are explosive. Add a little suspense and danger, and it’s the perfect quickie!
Jacki Swinford brings it all to life with her narration. It’s my first listen by her and she has good pacing and a wide variety of easily distinguishable voices. I enjoyed her portrayal of the characters and will be watching for more.
https://adbl.co/2HwheRM
Addison Reed watched her foreman, Jacobs, enter the seedy bar. She hated not being able to trust him, loved him like a father, so she needed proof that it was her neighbor, William Ramsey, who was stealing her cattle. Or were they working together? For the past six months, Jacobs own behavior was making her very suspicious of him: angry and impatient with everyone, not wanting to count the stock, switching from branding to ear tags (which were easy to remove when rustling cattle). So when she heard him on the phone saying he would meet someone here, she followed him.
With a Stetson pulled low on her face, she entered the packed bar and immediately bumped into a handsome, charming cowboy. Moving past him, she followed Jacobs and, as she suspected, he sat down with Ramsey. Before she could move closer, a woman stopped her, thinking she was the barmaid they hired. At least that would give her an excuse for clearing off the table next to them. She should let Sheriff Gatlin deal with this, but he thought women should not own ranches and suggested she sell hers to Ramsey! She carried the tray of empties to the bar and watched the table. Suddenly Jacobs got up and headed for the exit – but he would pass the bar and recognize her! As she ran toward the exit, she slipped and strong arms grabbed her – it was the handsome green-eyed cowboy again! With no time left, she threw her arms around him and kissed him!
Sawyer Dawson wasn’t too fond of his new boss. The man had shifty eyes. And his frequent meetings with Jacobs usually ended up in the two arguing – they were definitely up to something. Curious about a large building’s purpose, he headed toward it, but stopped when he saw someone apparently leaning in as if to hear better. The person jumped back and knocked the hat off, revealing the woman who had kissed him the night before!
Addison heard Jacobs and Ramsey talking. Jacobs told him “she” was getting suspicious. Ramsey told Jacobs to take care of it, and mentioned a new foreman he hired to take the fall if they got caught. She had to get a look at the stock and see if she could identify them as hers. She came up with a hair-brained scheme to move the expecting cows and heifers from Ramsey’s barn through the fence she would cut, then repair the fence once she moved them all over. She would have to do this in the wee-hours of the night by herself, not wanting to risk her ranch hands. But as she turned to leave, the man she had kissed walked toward her! Was HE the new foreman? Did he know what Ramsey planned for him if they got caught rustling? Was Addison really going to steal back her stock? And could she do so without getting caught by Ramsey?
This well-written, entertaining book draws the reader in right from the start as we see Addison sneaking into a bar to spy on her dear friend who just might be stealing her cows. When Jacobs almost catches her spying, her escape plan just melted my heart! The humor interspersed in the tense situations Addison deals with is absolutely perfect! The characters are very well developed and the reader can quickly choose sides to cheer them on. Grab your copy of this exciting Western and see how all the action finally comes together!
I just loved this book. It was so well-written that it captured my mind and I was dragged along for the ride. Once I started reading I could not put it down until I read the last page.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.