Cowboys are a specialty of mine, and no cowboy is more rare than the Hot Cowboy Nerd. This can be a tricky dish to prepare, but I guarantee you—nothing will keep you warmer on a cold winter’s night.
My hero Daniel MacKinnon gave up a lucrative job in the oil industry when he was forced to take over his family’s ranch. He’s brainy, stubborn, and gruff…but behind closed doors, this Hot Cowboy Nerd plays as hard as he works.
Meet Daniel…
Recipe created by Mia Hopkins
Cowboy Rising, Book 5 in the Cowboy Cocktail series
Main ingredients: *Six feet of all natural free-range cowboy, aged 24 years
*Equal amounts of discipline, loyalty, and stubbornness
*A heapin’ helping of solid farm-raised muscle
*Three generations of ranching know-how
*Advanced degrees in petroleum engineering and geophysics
*A generous scoop of regret
Spices and flavorings *Dirty blond hair, styled high and tight
*Green eyes (green as new grass, to be exact)
*A pinch of arrogance
*Lantern jaw, no beard
*A talent for dirty talk
*The brain of an engineer
*The stamina of a draft horse
*The heart of a fighter
Garnish
*A wicked adventurous streak
Step 1. Take first four ingredients and mix together as usual. Slowly add advanced degrees, finishing with a generous scoop of regret. Pour mixture into an empty whiskey bottle, cap tightly, and shake hard.
Step 2. When the main ingredients are muddled, pour mixture into a pressure cooker. Add spices and flavorings one by one over high heat. Stir with challenges and questions. Mixture will get tough and fight back. It’s going to take all your strength to overcome that resistance. Don’t give up.
Step 3. When the mixture turns molten at last, garnish with a wicked adventurous streak and serve on a bed of crisp white sheets. Remove Wranglers and enjoy hot!
*Equal amounts of discipline, loyalty, and stubbornness
*A heapin’ helping of solid farm-raised muscle
*Three generations of ranching know-how
*Advanced degrees in petroleum engineering and geophysics
*A generous scoop of regret
Spices and flavorings *Dirty blond hair, styled high and tight
*Green eyes (green as new grass, to be exact)
*A pinch of arrogance
*Lantern jaw, no beard
*A talent for dirty talk
*The brain of an engineer
*The stamina of a draft horse
*The heart of a fighter
Garnish
*A wicked adventurous streak
Step 1. Take first four ingredients and mix together as usual. Slowly add advanced degrees, finishing with a generous scoop of regret. Pour mixture into an empty whiskey bottle, cap tightly, and shake hard.
Step 2. When the main ingredients are muddled, pour mixture into a pressure cooker. Add spices and flavorings one by one over high heat. Stir with challenges and questions. Mixture will get tough and fight back. It’s going to take all your strength to overcome that resistance. Don’t give up.
Step 3. When the mixture turns molten at last, garnish with a wicked adventurous streak and serve on a bed of crisp white sheets. Remove Wranglers and enjoy hot!
Taste Test
His cheeks red from working outside, the new brother removed his gloves and tucked them under his arm. He took off his hat and shook her hand. His rough fingers were warm.
“Daniel MacKinnon.” He didn’t smile.
Georgia couldn’t explain it. With a heavy jaw and dirty blond hair styled high and tight, he was as clean cut as a cadet—she usually preferred tattooed, bearded types. He looked to be in his mid-twenties—she usually liked seasoned men who were older than her, not younger. But this guy’s hotness seared her eyeballs, nailing her feet where she stood.
“Georgia Meyers, L.A. Chronicle,” she said automatically, all other words escaping her. She was too old, too experienced, and far too smart to react this way—and yet, here she was. Staring slack-jawed at a pretty-faced cowboy like some blue-stockinged virgin at a rodeo dance.
“I know you’re here to see my father,” he said, the low rumble in his voice stroking a sweet spot inside her chest, “but he isn’t available today. You need to reschedule, Miss Meyers.”
His bright green eyes were so distracting, she almost didn’t register his words. “Reschedule?”
“Yeah. You need to come back. Do the interview another day.”
“What?” Snap out of it, Gigi. The story. She yanked her professional persona back in place. “Mr. MacKinnon, I’ve just driven an hour and a half from Fresno to be here. Two days ago, your father said he’d give me a tour of the ranch and walk me through the organic certification process. Isn’t there anyone else I can talk to?”
Daniel’s stoic expression was both infuriating and unspeakably hot. “No.”
Hot or not, who does this guy think he is? She stood up straight. “Okay, let me lay it all out for you. If there’s no one here who will speak with me today, just to make sure my time isn’t wasted, I’ll be more than happy to find another rancher. There are plenty of spreads in your neck of the woods, aren’t there? I’m sure my readers wouldn’t mind learning about conventional ranching operations. Maybe someone at the Hughes Ranch will make time for me. What do you think?”
He narrowed his eyes at her and took a deep but silent breath. His broad chest rose and fell as he looked her over. At last he said, “Can you ride?”
“A little.” Which was completely true, depending on one’s definition of “a little.”
Fresh impatience lit up Daniel MacKinnon’s eyes. “All right. Let’s go.”
by Mia Hopkins
November 22, 2016
Journalist Georgia Meyers is writing an article about MacKinnon Ranch in a last-ditch effort to save her job at a failing newspaper. At first, the hot-as-hell rancher wants nothing to do with her. But butting heads leads to knocking boots, and soon she’s getting the real story—in bed and off the record.
Cattleman’s son and petroleum engineer Daniel MacKinnon turned down a lucrative oil career to take over the family farm. Frustrated about giving up his dreams and worried about money, Daniel buries himself in ranch work—that is, until gorgeous Georgia shows up and rocks him to the core. A blazing one-night stand leads to something deeper. Despite their feelings for each other, he’s tied to the land and she’s a rolling stone. When the time comes to part ways, will the lovers choose duty over desire? Or will they face their fears and rise to the challenge of love?
Warning: Get ready for sassy banter, sizzling sex, orgasms galore, and a nerdy dirty-talkin’ cowboy who can go all night long.
Journalist Georgia Meyers is writing an article about MacKinnon Ranch in a last-ditch effort to save her job at a failing newspaper. At first, the hot-as-hell rancher wants nothing to do with her. But butting heads leads to knocking boots, and soon she’s getting the real story—in bed and off the record.
Cattleman’s son and petroleum engineer Daniel MacKinnon turned down a lucrative oil career to take over the family farm. Frustrated about giving up his dreams and worried about money, Daniel buries himself in ranch work—that is, until gorgeous Georgia shows up and rocks him to the core. A blazing one-night stand leads to something deeper. Despite their feelings for each other, he’s tied to the land and she’s a rolling stone. When the time comes to part ways, will the lovers choose duty over desire? Or will they face their fears and rise to the challenge of love?
Warning: Get ready for sassy banter, sizzling sex, orgasms galore, and a nerdy dirty-talkin’ cowboy who can go all night long.
Add COWBOY RISING to your TBR pile on Goodreads!
About the Author:
Mia Hopkins writes lush romances starring fun, sexy characters who love to get down and dirty. She's a sucker for working class heroes, brainy heroines and wisecracking best friends. When she's not lost in a story, Mia spends her time cooking, gardening, traveling, volunteering and looking for her keys. In a past life, she was a classroom teacher and still has a pretty good "teacher voice" and "teacher stare." She lives in the heart of Los Angeles with her roguish husband and two waggish dogs.
CELEBRATE THE RELEASE WITH A GIVEAWAY!
Grand Prize: Digital copies of Books 1-4 in the Cowboy Cocktail series plus a delicate gold and quartz crystal necklace from FeminaHandmade.
5 Runner-Ups: Digital copies of Cowboy Resurrection (Book #2 in the series)
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