Her Wayward Cowboy


 
 
 
 Praise for Maisey Yates
 “Yates brings her signature heat and vivid western details to another appealing story in the excellent Gold Valley series... Fans of Kate Pearce should enjoy this.” —Booklist on Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch
 “[A] surefire winner not to be missed.”—Publishers Weekly on Slow Burn Cowboy (starred review) 
 “This fast-paced, sensual novel will leave readers believing in the healing power of love.”—Publishers Weekly on Down Home Cowboy
 “Yates’ new Gold Valley series begins with a sassy, romantic and sexy story about two characters whose chemistry is off the charts.”—RT Book Reviews on Smooth-Talking Cowboy (Top Pick)
 “Multidimensional and genuine characters are the highlight of this alluring novel, and sensual love scenes complete it. Yates’s fans…will savor this delectable story.”—Publishers Weekly on Unbroken Cowboy (starred review)
 “Fast-paced and intensely emotional…. This is one of the most heartfelt installments in this series, and Yates’s fans will love it.”—Publishers Weekly on Cowboy to the Core (starred review)
 “Yates’s outstanding eighth Gold Valley contemporary…will delight newcomers and fans alike…. This charming and very sensual contemporary is a must for fans of passion.”—Publishers Weekly on Cowboy Christmas Redemption (starred review)
 
 
 Her Wayward Cowboy
 New York Times Bestselling Author
 Maisey Yates
 A Four Corners Ranch Novella
 
 
 
 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 ONE
 Thirteen Years Ago...
 ARIZONA KING LOVED a man she could never have.
 For one, he was twenty-nine years old, and she was eighteen. For another, he was in love with another woman.
 She hated that woman.
 That woman back in Texas who had his heart.
 That woman he was pining over even as he worked on her daddy’s ranch in Pyrite Falls, Oregon, the middle of dadgum nowhere.
 She’d never felt anything like this before, not even when Billy Maddigan told her he thought she was pretty in fourth grade. And Billy had been quite a catch around Four Corners Ranch.
 Not that the pickings were overly abundant at the ranch.
 At least not outside the four main families and ew, gross. No.
 Women liked her brothers, and she never wanted to hear a blasted thing about that. The Garretts and McClouds were like family as well, and she couldn’t imagine ever entertaining a naughty thought about any of them.
 But Micah...
 He made her heart hurt.
 He had eyes that were blue like the sky and hair as dark as the earth. Or maybe as dark as her favorite cow.
 That might not be super romantic, but cows were often a reference point for Arizona, as Four Corners, and specifically King’s Crest, her family’s portion of the broader operation, had a hell of a lot of cows.
 But today she wasn’t going to think about that woman, Lacey, who had broken up with him before his move out to Oregon, and who had left him—in his words—pretty messed up. Today, she was focusing on the fact that they were out riding the range together and it was a beautiful, glorious day out on the ranch. And he was even more beautiful than the day itself.
 She felt free out here. And it was good to get away from the house for a while. Good to get away from their parents, all the associated drama in the King household.
 This was what she loved.
 A beautiful view, a great horse. And a beautiful man.
 She knew that she was pretty. She also knew that he seemed unaffected by that.
 Though, he did seem to like spending time with her.
 “You’re doing a great job,” she said. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and gave him what she knew to be a pretty flirtatious smile.
 “I’m hardly a greenhorn, Arizona. Though I appreciate your approval of my skills.”
 “Well, you knew the terrain out here. It’s a little bit different.”
 She was given to understand that the terrain he was used to traversing out in Texas was much flatter compared to the mountainous rugged spaces in Oregon.
 “I got the hang of it pretty quick.”
 Such a man. Couldn’t take a compliment if it meant having to admit he hadn’t known everything from day one.
 He circled his horse around so that he was facing her, and her heart jumped up in her throat. She was used to cowboys. She was around them all the time. But the thing was... She loved cowboys. Everything about them. The way they wore their hats, the way they wore their jeans, the way those jeans fit their asses and thighs.
 She liked their cocky swagger, she liked every damn thing about a cowboy. Most of all this one. He had a square jaw with dark stubble across it, and piercing blue eyes that made her feel like she might be transforming into one of the flighty, feminine Sullivan sisters from the ranch next door. They meandered around talking about Jane Austen and shit like that. Arizona wasn’t a romantic.
 He made her feel like one.
 Which was a real shame.
 You couldn’t be a romantic and be a King. There was no way. There wasn’t a single ounce of romance in her blood, just like there wasn’t a single ounce of it in her home.
 He made her wish that maybe...
 Well, he made her wish all kinds of things.
 “I’ll race you to the edge of the pasture,” she said, spurring the horse on and giving herself a head start. He let out a whoop and went on after her. And she laughed, exhilarated, her hair flying in the wind. And when she reached the edge, she hollered in triumph, but then he was right there. Right there, on the back of his horse.
 She grinned at him, and he reached out and wrapped his hand around her arm. His hands were rough. From all the work that