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    Once Upon A Cowboy: Montana Born
    Once Upon A Cowboy: Montana Born
    Once Upon A Cowboy: Montana Born
    Ebook109 pages1 hour

    Once Upon A Cowboy: Montana Born

    By Ani Bishop

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    About this ebook

    One brother.
    One housekeeper. 
    One horse. 
    One chance.

    Kelly came to the ranch to start a new life--a quiet life. 
    But there's just one problem: Benton. And he really enjoys making her sweat. 

    Could all that fighting and bickering be hiding something intense between them? And if it fell apart, would she have to move again with a broken heart?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAni Bishop
    Release dateJan 30, 2019
    ISBN9781386816621
    Once Upon A Cowboy: Montana Born

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      Book preview

      Once Upon A Cowboy - Ani Bishop

      Once Upon a Cowboy A Montana Born Series Novella by Ani Bishop

      Once Upon a Cowboy

      Copyright © 2018 by Ani Bishop

      All rights reserved.

      Email: authoranibishop@gmail.com

      Editor: PK Designs – Editing and Graphics

      No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

      This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

      Chapter 1

      Kelly McGregor tried to make sense of the angry man in front of her. He wasn't reasonable; he was downright pissed. Why you might ask. Oh, the reason was simple, she’d dared to enter his parents’ room without asking. See, she wasn't crazy. She’d opened the forbidden room with good reason. Earlier in the day, Jack had told her he wanted her to clean it. That he wanted it presentable. For what, she could only guess because he didn't say. And now, his damn brother and her nemesis, Benton Brown, entered the room and was yelling his fool's ass off.

      I don't know how many times I have to tell you not to touch anything in this room. It's off limits, goddammit!

      There was a moment when he was leaning so far into her face that she could smell him. It took too long after that for her mind to catch up and recognize that she should react in some way other than daydreaming and drooling. She touched the end of her mouth to make sure no spittle lingered, and then snapped her head high.

      I was allowed on this floor. You do know that I clean around here, right? She wasn’t entirely sure he even realized she existed. So many times, he’d walk past her or ignore her at dinner. From the first moment she moved onto this ranch, he’d made it his mission to make her feel unwanted.

      His face seemed to redden even more at her words. Yes, I am aware you're the cleaning lady, but this room was specifically left off your list.

      Kelly disliked the way he said cleaning lady as if it was a dirty term and an occupation not worth much. Dammit, this job was worth everything to her.

      You should probably ask Jack about this. She turned to go. Kelly knew dismissing her boss might not be the best idea, but the thing was, Jack was the one who signed her paycheck. Benton ran the place, but Jack decided who was hired. She’d learned that the first week after her initial interaction with Benton. He’d wanted to fire her, but Jack shot him down and said they both had to make that decision, and he refused to agree. After that, she made it her business to please her boss—Jack—becauseshe sure as hell couldn't please Benton. Every move she made, every step around the house annoyed him to no end.

      That was why she’d moved to the small shed out back after the first month in the house. She sure as hell wasn't sleeping in the bunkhouse with the rest of the ranch hands.

      Where do you think you're going? I'm talking to you. He growled at her.

      That's not called talking. It's called yelling, and frankly, I have better things to do. Your brother sent me here to clean this room. I did my job. The rest is up to you and him.

      Kelly exited the room as fast as she could. Despite her bravado, she had never been so direct. But, there was something about Benton that had her wanting to fight toe-to-toe, to show she could give as good as she got.

      Benton. The male who kept ignoring her and acting as if she was a thorn in his backside. As if he couldn't stand her presence. So, why on Earth did she even try to impress him anymore? It made no sense whatsoever, yet, here she was. She refused to leave the ranch. Maybe she really was as stubborn as her father had told her all her life. And obviously a glutton for punishment. Because this wasn't normal, to want someone every hour of each day when all that other person did was hurt her.

      Yes, this country life certainly had brainwashed her. She'd escaped a similar situation to find another one. Her feet picked their way to the greenhouse on the back of the house. She loved it. If for nothing else, staying was worth it to see this beauty every day—flowers, hundreds of them, blossoming in the big space. It was hard to maintain, but there seemed to be a good fairy who kept it alive. Mona, the cook for the ranch hands, said Benton refused to let it go to waste after his mother died.

      Such a contradiction—a greenhouse that was still alive and a room left intact where dust settled, and memories were forgotten.

      He saw you, Jack said from the door.

      Kelly turned to see him grin. Why are you enjoying this so much? He was pissed.

      That's why. He needs to get pissed. He needs to feel. Jack shook his head sadly. How our parents died, it was tragic. It destroyed us. But, it's been years. And Ben, he keeps living like it's just happened. If he continues on like he is now, he'll destroy himself in the process. And I really don't want that.

      Kelly frowned. And making him angry does that?

      Yes.

      "Making him angry at me won’t help him forget his parents’ passing. You’re confusing." Kelly was growing impatient.

      It's okay. You don't have to understand it all. You'll get it when we reach our goal.

      Jack! Benton’s voice hollered from outside.

      Her boss turned to go and called over his shoulder, I think Mona made something extra delicious for dinner. Let's go, Kelly. We don't want to be late and have nothing left because the idiots ate it all without us.

      Kelly realized Jack wasn't going to tell her his plan. Maybe it was for the best. She had a feeling that his idea wouldn't sit well with her.

      Jack arrived at the kitchen before her and was already at the table, fighting over food with the rest of the men. Usually, they waited for everyone to sit and said a little prayer before they started eating. Today, it seemed, everyone was too hungry. Which happened rarely, but after a particularly hard day, the guys would chow down early.

      Benton, on the other hand, wasn't eating. He was strangely absent from the table. Her belly tightened. Was it her fault? Had she made him so mad that he refused to come to dinner? That had never happened before. Even with all his ignoring her, not one of their altercations had made him miss a meal.

      Mona used to joke that the way to Benton’s heart was through his stomach. The man could eat everything and loved food like no one else. Not to say that he was anything other than a well-built, in-shape man.

      Kelly realized that no one was paying attention to her. They were finishing their plates and yawning. This was the perfect time to slip away. With a plate in her hand, she moved from the kitchen and crept up the stairs. Her feet resisted at first, but she walked forward with determination.

      When she arrived at his door, she knocked. Silence. She thought he might still be outside. Once he came to the house, he might want to shower first, so she entered and set the plate on his bedside table. There was a faint noise from the shower that she hadn’t noticed before she’d entered the room. At first, she stopped to listen and closed her eyes. It was easy to imagine what was happening in the bath. Too easy.

      What are you doing here? a shocked voice

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