Take a city-girl with a cow phobia, throw in a ranch full of cows, a hunky cowboy and a generous billionaire. What could possibly go wrong?City-girl Sophie is thrilled to inherit her Grandpa’s ranch. There’s only one problem – she’s terrified of cows... moreTake a city-girl with a cow phobia, throw in a ranch full of cows, a hunky cowboy and a generous billionaire. What could possibly go wrong?City-girl Sophie is thrilled to inherit her Grandpa’s ranch. There’s only one problem – she’s terrified of cows.When a run-in with her boss leaves Sophie’s journalism career in tatters, she trades the high life of Cape Town for her inheritance and a God-given dream—an old cattle ranch smack in the middle of River Valley, a small town nestled along the eastern coast of South Africa.She soon discovers that it’s one thing for a city-girl to attempt to run a cattle ranch, quite another to keep it going through a drought, and virtually impossible when you harbor a secret cow phobia. Sophie needs help fast.On one hand, there’s Benjamin Coleman, a cowboy straight off a ranch in the USA. Benjamin isn't scared of cows, he's a hard worker and throws himself into the demands of the ranch, refusing any payment. Sophie needs him, but can she trust a man so full of secrets?Then there’s her neighbor, self-made billionaire, Carter Shaw. He offers to fund her ranch operations, his only condition is that she has dinner with him once a week. Simple, right?Sophie needs him too, but can’t bring herself to trust there aren’t strings attached to his generosity. Can Sophie brave the cows, launch her dream, keep the two guys from clobbering each other and come out with her heart in one piece?(Previously released as A Cowboy, A Billionaire & A Proposal by Dannie Kat)"... absolutely delightful!""... I'm now waiting for the next in series book. Eagerly!""... I couldn't put the book down." Excerpt from Chapter 1“Molly, I think you’ve been sitting in the sun too long. Your brain is cooked. I’m not having some strange old man come take over Grampa’s farm. Are you nuts?” Sophie cuddled her sleeping hedgehog close to her chest. She tried to keep her voice low while balancing her phone in the crook of her neck and it was all sending her neck into spasm. “You need help, you know you do. What you know about running a ranch could fit in your right nostril as it is, but managing it through a drought? That calls for expert assistance. Don’t even get me started on your cow issues.” Molly had her bright voice on, the one she used on Sophie when they disagreed on things. Positive! Happy! The best idea! Now agree with me. She carried on. “Anyway, his name is Benjamin Coleman. Doesn’t he sound reliable? Besides, he’s not a complete stranger. He’s been working on my uncle’s ranch in the States.” Sophie snorted. “And we all know how reliable your uncle is.” The hedgehog stirred in her arms and Sophie swayed to shush her as she would a baby. Molly’s uncle Angus was known to be more drunk than sober on any day of the year. “You don’t have to decide now, just think about it. You’re a city girl after all. You don’t have any ranch know-how.”Sophie clucked her tongue. “So you keep reminding me. Has anyone ever told you how gifted you are at stating the obvious? Fine, I’ll think about it, but I won’t change my mind. You know I can’t afford to pay some fancy-pants expert.” Her ear touched the phone’s screen and ended the call early. Not in the mood for round two of her friend’s gentle bullying, Sophie chose not to phone back but crossed the lounge to sit in the old rocker. This place still didn’t feel like hers, even after hearing her name from the stuffy old attorney at the reading of the will, even after signing the papers. Why Grampa had picked her to take over Ubomi Cattle Ranch from him was a mystery, but one she welcomed after losing her feature writing job in Cape Town in such a spectacularly embarrassing fashion.... less
#1
