The Rancher She Loved

Saddlers Prairie #4

by Ann Roth

A Chance to Prove Himself

Learning that she was adopted is the biggest shock of magazine writer Sarah Tigarden's life. Falling in love with champion bull rider Clay Hollyer is a close second. Years ago, she shared a sizzling kiss with the handsome rodeo star, only to hear that he was a player who enjoyed toying with women. After her profile of Clay called him on his caddish behavior, she never wanted to see him again.

But as Sarah searches for her birth mother, Clay is unexpectedly by her side. Can this really be the same guy she condemned as a womanizer? As she gets closer to learning the stunning truth about her biological mom, Sarah also finds herself getting closer to Clay. Her head tells her it's a mistake…but her heart isn't so sure.

Genres: Romance

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 2013

About the author

I'm a bit of a voyeur. I love to stick my nose into total strangers' business and observe how they deal with life's hurdles and whatever obstacles fate throws at them. I can't think of anything more challenging or interesting than delving into a character's psyche to discover what makes her/him tick. The surprises and insights are amazing.

The people who interest me most are the ones I know will triumph despite life’s problems and challenges. For me, writing their stories is both rewarding and a whole lot of fun.

Publication didn't come easy for me--just ask my family! That took seven-plus years, during which I worked full-time as a banker, complete with an MBA in finance and human resources management. I wrote evenings and weekends, spending countless hours hunched in front of the computer while I painstakingly honed my craft, and collected folders of rejections. In 1999 my efforts at last paid off. That summer, I won the Golden Heart for best long contemporary romance. Sadly it is now defunct. Six months later, just four days before Christmas, I sold my first book to Silhouette Special Edition, also now gone. That book, STRANGER IN A SMALL TOWN, was a 2000 Romantic Times nominee (another loss) for best first long series novel.

Since then I have sold multiple novels to publishers and tried my hand at indie publishing.

But things change, so check back often for updates.

Thanks for stopping by, and come back soon!

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked both Sarah and Clay. After her mother's death, Sarah was stunned and hurt to discover that she had been adopted but had never known. The private investigator she hired discovered that her mom had grown up in Saddlers Prairie, so Sarah headed there to see if she could learn any more. She was shocked when Clay opened the door of her mom's old house. She had known Clay three years earlier while doing a magazine article about him and had been attracted to him. After hearing him talked about as a player by other women she finished her interview and left, writing a less than flattering article about him. At first he is quite rude to her, but soon she finds him being nice. I really felt for Sarah and her search for her birth mother. She has no family left and is feeling pretty lost. I liked her determination to find out anything she could. During the emotional upheaval Clay is by her side. The more time she spends with him the more she sees a different Clay than the one she saw before. I really liked the way that she started to wonder if she'd been completely fair in her article about Clay. She also worried that she was falling in love with him because she wasn't sure if he was still a "no commitment" type of guy. Sarah also had some issues of her own to face before she could fully open herself up to a future with Clay.

Clay had been a champion bull rider before he got hurt. Now he is getting his ranch up and running in Saddlers Prairie. Seeing Sarah at his door brought back a whole bunch of memories, many of them bad ones. It also made clear to him that his attraction to her hadn't died. He found himself wanting to help her and support her in her search. He could see the pain in her eyes when she talked about her adoptive mother and why she had kept the secret of her birth from her. He tried to fight the attraction but he found that she was constantly on his mind. He tried to tell himself it was just physical and that he couldn't allow himself to have feelings for someone he couldn't trust not to trash him again. I really liked the way that Clay was so good at being there for Sarah when she needed him. I also loved the way that since his accident he has admitted to himself that his old lifestyle doesn't fit him any more and he's ready for a change. His final admission of his feelings to himself and his approach to Sarah at the end was wonderful. I loved the epilogue.

[Diana Lepine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story with good writing. I sincerely enjoyed that the characters “made love” rather than “F…ing” which is the norm now. Happy that such an intimate act was treated with respect while emphasizing what one night stands are really about.

[Yazmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Rancher She Loved by Ann Roth, Sarah Tigarden has just discovered that she is adopted, something that would not have been so bad if her parents would have told her instead of her finding out by finding her birth certificate in her mother’s safe deposit box after her mother’s death. Now she has more questions than ever and no one to answer them for both her parent are dead. Her only option is to track down her birth mother.

Clay Hollyer has not forgiven Sarah for the article she wrote about him three years before. He didn’t so much mind the attention from women that came knocking down his door. What he minded is that she disappeared on him, didn’t return his calls, his email or anything. Read More...

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: Saddlers Prairie
Category: Home and Family

[Rahna Ab]

i realy like the book