Page 1 of A Cowboy's Heart

Chapter One

“Son of a bitch,” Devin Callahan muttered as he reread the letter yet again.

Tossing it onto the desk, he strode angrily from his office, down the hallway, entered the kitchen, and yanked open the refrigerator door to retrieve a beer. Just as he twisted the top off, the back door opened and his brother, Jaxon entered, stopped in his tracks then raised an eyebrow when he saw the beer in his hand.

“What? I can’t have a beer?”

Jaxon glanced at the clock above the stove. “At ten in the morning?”

Devin looked at the clock, swore, and put the beer back.

“Seems later,” he murmured.

“What’s going on, Dev?”

“I received a letter from some Hollywood agent. He wants to send Rocky Fontaine here to learn how to be a cowboy.”

Jaxon’s mouth dropped open. “Are you serious? Rocky Fontaine—the actor?”

“Yes. Seems Mr. Fontaine is going to be in a western and needs to learn some things. Shooting starts next spring.”

Jaxon pulled out a chair and took a seat. “I can’t see him in a western.”

“I can’t either. Those pretty boy looks will stick out like a sore thumb.” He hooked a chair with his booted foot, pulled it out, and flopped down.

“What did you tell the agent?”

“Nothing yet. I have to get back to him withina week after receiving the letter. He said if our guest ranch couldn’t do it, they’d have to find another one.” He drummed his fingers on the table in annoyance. He wasn’t thrilled with the idea but it was a great opportunity.

“How the hell did they even know about ours?”

“Seems the agent is a rodeo fan and he saw a documentary on me, saying how I left at the top of my career in bull riding to open a guest ranch. So, he sent me the letter.” He shrugged and wondered why he was even considering this.

“The only thing that bothers me about it is, what about our other guests?” Jaxon asked.

“He mentioned them signing a letter of confidentiality. Fontaine will be here for a month with an assistant of some kind. It seems Mr. Fontaine will be paying triple the amount to be here.”

“Triple? Shit. That’s a hell of a lot of money.”

Devin ran his hand around the back of his neck. “I know it is, but you know we don’t need the money, Jax. We have plenty of it. I just don’t know if this would be worth all the trouble. I have too much other shit to do.”

“Did Fontaine request you personally?”

“His agent did.”

Jaxon stood. “I think you should do it, but then it’s up to you. The money aside, it would bring a lot of exposure to the ranch.”

He knew Jaxon was right. He should do it, although other than gaining exposure he wasn’t sure why. Then again, did they really need it since they were already full every year? People were on waiting lists for two years.

Devin sighed as he considered drinking that beer after all.

“Since Fontaine is bringing an assistant with him, I’ll have to get in touch with the people who are booked for two cabins and see if any of them would be willing to change to rooms in the lodge. I’ll have to make it worth their while.” Devin ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

“Just let me know what you decide but if it were me, I’d do it.” Jaxon gave him a nod while getting to his feet then walked out the back door.

Two weeks later, he and Jaxon stood leaning against the corral fence when they both turned to see a vehicle coming up the driveway too fast, blowing dust all around once it left the blacktop behind for the dirt roads of the ranch.

“I guess whoever this is, can’t read,” Devin said, meaning the sign which readPlease Drive Slowlylocated at the entrance to the ranch.

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