Killer Cowboy Charm

Killer Cowboy Charm
Vicki Lewis Thompson

TV talk-show host Meg Delaney needs a surefire way to boost ratings. Her solution? To introduce her viewers to "The Hottest Cowboy in the West"–once she finds him, that is. Luckily, after one trip to the Circle W Ranch,Meg finds her man…because they don't come any hotter than rancher Clint Walker! Only, before sharing him with her audience,Meg can't resist keeping this lean, hard cowboy all to herself for a while….There's no way Clint is going to strut his stuff on national television–even for a gorgeous woman like Meg. Still, he'd be a fool not to park his boots beside her bed for a few nights…. After all,Meg isn't the first woman to fall for his killer cowboy charm. But she's about to be the last….

“So…will you put on your cowboy duds for me?”

Meg reached to stroke Clint’s cheek.

“But you said you wouldn’t know what to do with a real cowboy.” He brought her hand to his mouth and placed a string of kisses there.

“I didn’t think I did.” Her voice grew husky. “But you’ve changed my mind.”

He looked into her eyes, and desire hit him hard. “I didn’t think I’d know what to do with a TV star, either.”

“But you do. Trust me, you do.”

Clint wanted her so much, he had to fight not to grab her. He stood up suddenly. “Had enough of this dinner for a while?”

“If that’s an invitation to visit your bedroom, I accept.”

His heart beat loud and fast. “It was a solid-gold, engraved invitation.”

Meg got out of her chair and held out her hand. “Then let’s go get it on, cowboy.”

Dear Reader,

Eighteen months ago my career got a huge boost from the “Reading with Ripa” Book Club. But before Kelly Ripa, I was first and foremost a Harlequin Temptation author. My first published book in 1984 was a Temptation novel, and for years I dreamed of writing Harlequin Temptation’s 1000th book. This is that book.

Harlequin Temptation has grown, changed, evolved. And so have I. We’re still together after all these years. It seemed fitting to set this book in my home state of Arizona, and to give it a cowboy hero in tribute to all the cowboy heroes I’ve created and loved. But the heroine is a TV talk-show host from New York. You don’t have to look far to find my inspiration for that character!

It’s with great pleasure that I give you this book. It stands on the shoulders of 999 other terrific reads. I’m honored to be here.

Fondly,

Vicki Lewis Thompson

Killer Cowboy Charm

Vicki Lewis Thompson

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

To all the fabulous Temptresses, past, present and future.

You’ve made Temptation what it is today,

and I couldn’t be in better company.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Epilogue

1

“HERE THEY ARE, your Meg and Mel in the Morning co-hosts, Meg Delancy and Mel Harrison!”

Beaming at the wildly applauding studio audience, Meg bounced onto the set followed by a suave and smiling Mel. Meg had to act as if she hadn’t seen the ratings and didn’t know their number-one rank was in danger.

Nobody seemed to know why, either.

But rumors flew, including the one implying that the chemistry wasn’t right between her and Mel. If a studio exec believed that for a minute, Meg would be the one to go. Mel had established the show eight years ago and nobody would be looking to replace silver-haired Mel Harrison.

She would not lose this job.

At a tender age, sitting spellbound by Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Rogers, she’d announced that someday she’d have her own television show. Her parents had laughed.

When she’d insisted on turning their Brooklyn living room into a studio and interviewing the neighbors in front of whatever audience she could drag in, her family had thought it was cute. But they’d never taken her seriously.