Free Read: Valentine's Style

I know it's a day early, but I'm gearing up for Cozy's February blog event in celebration of Valentine's in which some of my favorite fellow authors of romance, women's fiction, and erotica answer 20 random Valentine's-related questions with excerpts and prizes! It's an extravaganza you won't want to miss - and that starts tomorrow so be sure to check back in for our first guest!


In the meantime, this time last year the 2nd book in the Ridges of Wayback, Texas trilogy was being released in e-format. Now the beloved characters of Bluest Heart - Casey Ridge and Josie Brusky - are fresh from their audio book debut! During February 2010 at AJ's Notes, they shared their answer to the intriguing question: "What do cowboys give their cowgirls for Valentine's Day?". I thought I'd bring back this free read to celebrate Casey and Josie's one-year anniversary! Enjoy!


Josie Brusky had been on her feet pretty much since dawn. Valentine’s Day made Josie’s Treasures—Wayback, Texas’s solo gift shop—the one-stop place for every cowboy with a sweetheart from a hundred miles around. Now she was finally home and her arches were screaming for some downtime.

As she walked into the house, she kicked off her heels then frowned. The jars of candles around the room were lit. A vase-full of bluebonnets overflowed with fresh blooms on the coffee table. And the scent of something zesty tickled her nostrils. Following the sound of country music, she made her way back toward the kitchen.

Her jaw dropped. Standing at the counter, beer at his elbow, white Stetson pulled low over his eyes, Casey Ridge poured marinade over two thick, juicy-looking steaks.

It wasn’t the fact that the man was cooking that stopped her in her tracks. What astounded her was the fact that he wore a starched, white KISS THE COOK apron…and nothing else but the Stetson and cowboy boots.

Josie clapped a hand over her mouth as a wide grin broke over her face. Thoughts of a good glass of wine and a quick nap flitted out of her head as she stepped across the tile floor.

He turned his head and grinned, dimples digging into his sun-bronzed cheeks and blue eyes gleaming. “Hey there, pretty lady.”

“Well, well.” She shook her head, skimming her eyes from his hat to his boot-clad toes then back up again, enjoying the view. Sliding her hands up his chest and onto his shoulders, she beamed into his face. “You really know how to make a cowgirl happy on Valentine’s.”

He bent his head to kiss her. “Like the apron?”

“I’m thinking about untying it, actually.” She pursed her lips, considering. “You know, I think I’ll dress to match.”

He smirked as she backed away, hand slipping from his. “Wear the red boots.”

She threw a suggestive wink over her shoulder. “You betcha.”

© Amber Leigh Williams


See more of Casey and Josie in Bluest Heart, available now in ebook along with Judd and Stela from Blackest Heart and Keefe and Calli from Bet It On My Heart at The Wild Rose Press. All three books in the Ridges of Wayback, Texas trilogy are also available in audio at AudioLark! 1st Place More Than Magic Novella Blackest Heart is featured in the paperback anthology The Way Back Home!