Six Weeks to Catch a Cowboy Read online

  Haven’s celebrity cowboy is back

  ...with a pint-size surprise!

  Kenzie Atkins was a lovestruck teenager when Spencer Channing left Haven in the dust. But the biggest news isn’t the rodeo champion’s hotly awaited homecoming—it’s the little girl who calls him daddy. Spencer’s newfound daughter is bringing out Kenzie’s yearning for a family—and for the sexy single cowboy who still sets her heart ablaze! Maybe the roving bull rider is finally ready to ride off into the sunset for the ultimate happily-ever-after...

  “Maybe we weren’t friends. But we were almost lovers.”

  Kenzie shook her head. “A quick roll in the hay would not have made us lovers.”

  “Then you’re not still mad at me—about what happened that night?”

  “Nothing happened. And I was never mad at you. I was mad at myself. And...embarrassed.”

  “Why would you be embarrassed?”

  “Because I threw myself at you.”

  It was true that she hadn’t been shy about what she wanted.

  “Back then, you and me...” He shook his head. “It would have been a mistake.”

  “I know.”

  “But now...” He deliberately let the words trail off.

  “Now it would be an even bigger mistake.”

  “Why?”

  “Because if we’d walked into Diggers’ together, the whole town would be buzzing about it before the meat hit the grill. You’re the closest thing this town has to a celebrity.”

  “Then the gossips are going to throw a ticker-tape parade when they find out about Dani.”

  She sent him a quizzical look. “Who’s Dani?”

  “My daughter.”

  MATCH MADE IN HAVEN:

  Where gold rush meets gold bands!

  Dear Reader,

  Is there anything more exhilarating—or more terrifying—than falling in love for the first time?

  While there might be nothing more exciting than a first love, there is also nothing more devastating than a first heartbreak. Thankfully, the heart is resilient. Most of us move on and love again, but some people never get over their first crush...

  Kenzie Atkins is one of those people. She was sixteen when she fell in love with eighteen-year-old Spencer Channing, and she was absolutely devastated when he went away to college with barely more than a kiss goodbye. Now, after seven years, the rodeo cowboy is home again, but only to rehab an injury—or so she thinks!

  Spencer was living the life he’d always envisioned when he suddenly finds himself a single dad to an almost four-year-old daughter! Riding bulls is child’s play compared to actually raising a child, and when he returns to Haven, romance is absolutely the last thing on his mind...until he crosses paths with Kenzie again.

  Now the sexy cowboy is a man on a mission: to lasso Kenzie’s wary heart—forever this time. Though she doesn’t want to fall for Spencer again, she can’t resist his little girl—or the temptation to finally be part of a real family.

  I hope you enjoy this Match Made in Haven and will return for more stories in 2019!

  All the best,

  Brenda Harlen

  Six Weeks to Catch a Cowboy

  Brenda Harlen

  Brenda Harlen is a former attorney who once had the privilege of appearing before the Supreme Court of Canada. The practice of law taught her a lot about the world and reinforced her determination to become a writer—because in fiction, she could promise a happy ending! Now she is an award-winning, RITA® Award–nominated national bestselling author of more than thirty titles for Harlequin. You can keep up-to-date with Brenda on Facebook and Twitter or through her website, brendaharlen.com.

  Books by Brenda Harlen

  Harlequin Special Edition

  Match Made in Haven

  The Sheriff’s Nine-Month Surprise

  Those Engaging Garretts!

  The Last Single Garrett

  Baby Talk & Wedding Bells

  Building the Perfect Daddy

  Two Doctors & a Baby

  Montana Mavericks: The Great Family Roundup

  The Maverick’s Midnight Proposal

  Montana Mavericks: The Baby Bonanza

  The More Mavericks, The Merrier!

  Montana Mavericks: What Happened at the Wedding?

  Merry Christmas, Baby Maverick!

  Visit the Author Profile page www.Harlequin.com for more titles.

  Join Harlequin My Rewards today and earn a FREE ebook!

  Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards

  http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010002

  For everyone who is looking for love—whether

  the first or forever—may you never lose heart

  in your quest for happily-ever-after. xo

  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 Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from Falling for the Wrong Brother by Michelle Major

  Excerpt from The Texas Cowboy’s Quadruplets by Cathy Gillen Thacker

  Chapter One

  Spencer Channing felt as if he’d been trampled by a bull.

  To a cowboy who’d spent almost half a decade on the professional rodeo circuit, it was more than a figure of speech.

  Not that he’d ever actually been trampled, but he’d been tossed up, thrown over, dragged across and stepped on. Even successful rides left their mark on a cowboy in the form of strains and sprains and bruises, and for more than half a decade, he’d loved every minute of it.

  But now, he was battered to the depths of his soul.

  He’d always prided himself on working hard and playing hard and doing the right thing. But he’d screwed up. In a big way.

  So he’d decided to go home to lick his wounds. And work on rehabbing his dislocated shoulder, since licking wouldn’t actually fix anything that was wrong.

  Still, he was confident that the injury would heal. In fact, the doctor had assured him that he could be back on the circuit in time for the National Finals Rodeo in Vegas.

  If that’s what you want.

  Six weeks earlier, there would have been no if about it. Of course, he wanted to be back on the circuit and competing for the biggest prize of the season. Being a cowboy was more than just a job—it was his identity. If he wasn’t Spencer Channing, two-time PBR and PRCA bull riding champion, he was nobody.

  He’d worked hard to get to the top and even harder to stay there. And then, it had taken only 6.2 seconds to change everything. Or maybe it was the unexpected meeting that happened before he went into the chute for the fateful ride that was to blame. A meeting he’d been confident he could put out of his mind for eight seconds.

  He’d been doing pretty well, too, before his attention had shifted—for just a fraction of a second—away from the fifteen-hundred-pound beast bucking beneath him. That momentary inattention had been rewarded by a quick toss in the air and a bone-jarring thud on the dirt.

  And another one bites the dust, the announcer had gleefully informed the crowd.

  Coming back to Haven hadn’t been an easy choice, but Spencer
knew it was the right one. And yet, six weeks after that life-changing day, he still hadn’t figured out what he was going to tell his parents when he walked through the front door. He’d driven eight hundred miles to get here, but his thoughts were as much a jumble now as when he’d started the journey.

  It was almost 9:00 p.m. when he passed the town limits. Main Street was mostly quiet, as was usual for a Tuesday night, though there were several vehicles parked on the street near Diggers’. On impulse, Spencer steered his truck into an empty spot.

  Stopping for a drink would only delay the inevitable, but he turned off the vehicle and stepped out onto the street, anyway. He walked through the main doors, then turned left, toward the bar section of the Bar & Grill. Only a few of the stools at the counter were occupied, and he straddled an empty one and studied the assortment of taps.

  “Spencer?”

  He lifted his head, his eyes skimming over the brunette working behind the bar. Pretty face with warm, dark chocolate–colored eyes, sweetly shaped lips, a tiny dent in her chin and long dark hair that tumbled over narrow shoulders. She wore a black vest over a white T-shirt tucked into slim-fitting jeans that showed off her feminine curves.

  His gaze dropped automatically to her left hand, and he noted the huge diamond weighing down the third finger.

  A glittering, princess-cut stop sign.

  “Do I know you?” he asked, because that question seemed safer than Did I sleep with you?

  Over the years, he’d learned that most females didn’t appreciate being forgettable. Although he’d realized that the forgetting said more about him than it did about the companions he’d forgotten.

  There had been a lot of women while he’d traveled the circuit. Too many women; too many one-night stands. A few hookups had lasted longer than that, but he’d had no long-term relationships. It was too hard to maintain a connection when he was constantly on the move to new rodeos in new towns—and when those new towns were filled with a whole new array of willing women. The longest relationship he’d had was with Emily Whittingham, as they’d traveled the same route for a few weeks, and the friendly parting of ways had certainly not prepared him for the chaos she would introduce into his life years later.

  The pretty bartender shook her head, yanking his attention back to the present like a lassoed calf at a roping competition. “No,” she said. “But you look so much like Jason, I knew you had to be his brother.”

  “And you are?” he prompted.

  She reached across the counter. “Alyssa Cabrera—his fiancée.”

  As Spencer took her proffered hand, he looked her over again, this time attempting to picture her with his brother. Jay had always had a way with the ladies—a family trait—but he’d usually gone for long-legged blondes. Another family trait.

  “I know,” Alyssa said, following his train of thought. “I’m not his type.”

  “Not his usual type,” Spencer agreed. “Obviously he raised the bar.”

  She laughed softly at that. “I see you have the same glib tongue as well as the same blue eyes.”

  Channing blue, his mother referred to the clear, deep shade that each of her children had inherited from their father.

  He pushed the distracting thought aside.

  “Jay said that you’re a teacher,” he noted.

  “I am,” she confirmed. “I also work here two nights a week. I originally took the job because I had too much time on my hands—but since we’ve started planning the wedding, I’ve got none. Now, I’m only working until Duke hires and trains a replacement.

  “Or until he fires me,” she suggested as an alternative. “Because I’m not doing a very good job, am I? Gabbing your ear off instead of asking what you want to drink.”

  He scanned the taps. “I’ll take a pint of Icky.”

  She grabbed a glass and tipped it beneath the spout. “So when did you get into town?”

  He glanced at his watch. “About ten minutes ago.”

  Her brows lifted. “This was your first stop?”

  “As my brother’s fiancée, I’m sure you’ve met my parents and can appreciate the need for a little fortification before facing them.”

  She gave him a stern look that probably worked well on her students, but he could see the ghost of a smile hovering at the corners of her mouth as she set the beer glass on a paper coaster in front of him.

  Maybe he was surprised to discover that this was the woman his brother had chosen as his bride—and even more surprised that he was choosing to get married at all—but he instinctively sensed that Alyssa would be good for Jay. And though Spencer had never thought in terms of a wife and kids and happily-ever-after, he decided that his brother was a lucky guy.

  “Does anyone know you’re here?” she asked, after he’d sipped and nodded his approval of the draft.

  “Sitting on this stool?”

  “In Haven,” she clarified.

  “Nah. I talked to my mom yesterday and told her I was on my way home, but I didn’t tell her when I’d be arriving.”

  “You didn’t want her to slaughter the fatted calf in honor of your return?” she teased.

  “All the calves at Crooked Creek Ranch were scrawny,” he told her. “Which was probably just as well, because if one had been slaughtered, my mother might try to cook it.”

  “More likely she’d have Celeste do it,” Alyssa noted, referring to the Channings’ long-time cook. Then her expression grew serious. “How’s the shoulder?”

  “Healing,” he said.

  “How long are you planning to stay?”

  He lifted his uninjured shoulder. “I’m not sure yet.”

  And while it was true that he wasn’t working with a specific timeline—except maybe the end of season event in Vegas—this was the first time he’d returned to Haven since his freshman year at UNLV that he wasn’t already counting the days until he could leave again. This time, it was entirely possible that he might decide to stay. For a while, anyway.

  “Are you staying with your parents?” Alyssa asked, her question again bringing him back to the present.

  “For now,” he admitted. “Although I’m not sure I’ll last even a week there.”

  “Well, if you decide you want to hang around longer than that and you want your own space, you could always stay at my place,” she invited.

  “I’m not sure how my brother would feel about me bunking with his fiancée,” he said cautiously.

  Her cheeks flushed prettily. “Not with me—just in my apartment,” she clarified. “Most of my stuff has been moved to Jason’s place already, so it wouldn’t be a big deal to get the rest of it out of your way.”

  His surprise gave way to curiosity. “Is the apartment furnished?”

  She nodded. “It’s not fancy, but it’s got all the essentials.”

  “Bed, shower and TV?” he guessed.

  “And a fridge and stove in the kitchen, too.”

  He didn’t tell her that he didn’t cook, because he knew he was going to have to learn to do more than warm up canned beans to serve on toasted bread. Just one more adjustment to be made in a life he soon wouldn’t recognize as his own.

  “That could work,” he agreed.

  “Just let me know when you want to see the place,” she offered.

  He finished his beer and pushed the empty glass across the bar. “Would now be a good time?”

  She laughed. “I’m working now. Plus, you were going to stay with your parents for at least a few days.”

  “Only because I didn’t think I had any other options,” he confided.

  She smiled at that, then she touched a hand to his arm. “It’s great to finally meet you, Spencer. And I know everyone will be thrilled that you’re home.”

  He didn’t know if it was the warmth of her touch or the sincerity of her tone, but with those words,
the weight that he’d carried on his shoulders since he’d started this journey began to lift away.

  For the past five years, he’d lived like a nomad, not always knowing when he woke up in the morning where he’d be laying his head that night. He hadn’t had a home—just a series of hotel rooms that all started to look the same after a while.

  But Alyssa was right—this was his home.

  And it was good to be back.

  * * *

  Spencer Channing was coming home.

  The town of Haven had been buzzing with the news all week—and it was only Wednesday!

  Kenzie Atkins first heard about the rodeo cowboy’s imminent return on Monday at The Daily Grind, where she stopped for a tall vanilla latte every morning on her way to work.

  “He’s coming home for his brother’s wedding,” Lacey Seagram told her.

  It was a credible explanation for his return, except Kenzie knew that Jason and Alyssa weren’t getting married until December and the nuptials were taking place in California.

  “I heard he was suspended for fighting,” Jerry Tate had reported to her the following afternoon.

  He was a twice-weekly patient at Back in the Game—the local sports medicine clinic—who suffered from chronic lower back issues. Kenzie suspected he must be on some kind of pain medication that muddled his brain, because the idea of Spencer Channing ever doing anything that might jeopardize his career was completely outrageous.

  The man she’d known seven years earlier had wanted nothing more than to be a rodeo cowboy and would let nothing get in the way of his goal.

  Of course, seven years was a long time and people did change. And what did she know about his life now?

  Less than nothing.

  Because although she’d kept in touch with his sister after Brielle moved to New York City, Kenzie wasn’t pathetic enough to pump her long-distance friend for information about a brother she rarely saw.

  When she met Megan Carmichael—another friend from high school—at Diggers’ for lunch on Wednesday, Kenzie was presented with yet another possible scenario.

  “Did you hear the news?” Megan asked after Deanna, their usual waitress, had delivered their food.