My Cowboy Crush

My Cowboy Crush Olivia Sage Copyright Copyright 2023 by Olivia Sage - All rights reserved. Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher. All rights reserved. In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. Preface D ear reader, Thank you so much for taking the time to read My Cowboy Crush. I hope you enjoy it! As a thank you and a special surprise… I've included a section at the end of the book for Cowboy Recipes. Tried and true family recipes shared around the family dinner table on the ranch. Hardy enough to feed the all the tired ranch hands after a hard day's work. Enjoy! Contents 1. Chapter 1 2. Chapter 2 3. Chapter 3 4. Chapter 4 5. Chapter 5 6. Chapter 6 7. Chapter 7 8. Chapter 8 9. Chapter 9 10. Chapter 10 11. Chapter 11 12. Chapter 12 13. Chapter 13 14. Chapter 14 15. Chapter 15 16. Chapter 16 17. Chapter 17 18. Chapter 18 19. Chapter 19 20. Chapter 20 21. Chapter 21 22. Chapter 22 23. Chapter 23 24. Chapter 24 25. Chapter 25 26. Chapter 26 The End Cowboy Recipes Chapter 1 W illow “Sir, I told you I was sent to be the accountant to fix your affairs,” Willow Sandberg stated. “If you could’ve balanced a checkbook as well as you threaten people, you wouldn’t need me. Now the bank’s only holding off taking this property because it seems that our program might help you pay off the debt and interest. But keep acting like a creep, and I’m gone, mister.” She gritted her teeth. Today was July first and she had to stay in this backwater town until the end of August. Two months of summer ruined and beyond her control. Bad enough Mr. Michaels had sent her to a country dump instead of Paris for the summer. Now she had to listen to an angry Texan holding a shotgun. If this ridiculous mix-up didn’t come with a special payday if she completed the task, this dusty place would’ve been in her rear-view mirror. Why did anyone want to live on a ranch? The owner might be hot, but he was a grumpy jerk the second his mouth opened. She took in his gray shirt with specks of mud on it, black slacks, and brown work boots. I should be relaxing in Paris right now. Instead, I’m stuck in a sick version of a country reality show. Ryan Baker just kept glaring. At over six feet tall, he was a towering man with a deep tan, tousled dark hair, and clear blue eyes. There was no way to move forward if things didn’t de-escalate. “You look like you barely graduated high school while dressing like a granny. A cute granny, but still.” “Wow, Ryan. You still don’t recognize me?” Willow demanded. “You’re my brother's best friend.” She couldn’t believe the jerk didn’t even remember her. Perhaps that was a good thing since he thought she looked like a granny. How mortifying was that? Besides, he’s way closer to middle age than me. He even has children already. Ryan laughed. “Willow’s twenty-four and looked pretty hot in that poolside photo Evan sent me a year ago. You’re wearing a green curtain and can barely keep that giant sombrero on your head. You’re not ugly, but nothing like my best friend’s sister.” “I’ll be sure to let my brother, Evan Sandberg, know you’re ogling me, Ryan the Bruiser,” Willow said as she folded her arms across her chest. At twenty-four, with a round baby face, petite figure, short dark hair, gray eyes, and brown skin, folks often thought she was younger than her actual age. The backtalker in front of her wouldn’t have this problem since he was thirty-five and looked forty. A hot forty. “You’re going to be my boss for a few weeks. Care to start acting professional?” Ryan came closer and his mouth dropped. “Willow? You look great. That outfit isn’t doing you justice, but I can see it’s you up close,” he said, staring at her as if she were an alien. “Well, it’s nice to know my brother’s sharing photos of me with his buddies. Evan loves pulling silly pranks. It’s why he begged me to wear that skimpy purple bathing suit, isn’t it?” Willow asked, rolling her eyes. Secretly, though, she was excited to know he thought she was smoking hot. Not her fault most folks her age didn’t dress conservatively. The green dress stopped at her knees, a bit short. The green ballet flats she had planned to wear had to be switched with gray Timberlands because of the terrain. “I apologize for calling you a grandma. You look classy,” Ryan said as he cleared his throat. “I was expecting a male paper-pusher. The place still has some damage from the storm. But it’s mostly fine, and you’ll stay in the room adjoined to mine. So I guess I’m your boss and close roommate.” Willow laughed, thinking he was joking. When his expression didn’t change, she hesitated. “Wait, are you serious?” Her face burned at the idea of being that close. This was her boss; his sexiness was enough of a distraction. Why couldn’t the ranch be run by a kindly old woman who lived with a cat? “I was told there was a male accountant named Jim coming here. It’s not my fault your so-called program gave me the wrong details,” Ryan protested. The only Jim that Willow knew who could be sent on this assignment was barely able to do his timetables. Talk about getting a job through nepotism. If he were sent to this ranch, the foreclosure would be imminent. She wondered if her boss had sent her this