Ranger and Serenity's story is now available in The Cowboy's Temporary Solution.

This is book #2 in the Slow River Valley Ranches and, as the name implies, features a fake dating scenario.

You can get it on Amazon for 99 cents currently, or read it for free as part of your Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Get it Now

The curvy little historian seated next to me on the plane looks like she's never been out of the city. With her tight little skirt and high heels, she's about as out of place in Slow River's ranch lands as it gets-- and she's exactly what I need.

As I step on the plane that'll take me back to the life I walked away from over a decade ago, I know I'm heading back for good whether I'm ready or not. That means making things right with my brothers and stepping up to run the family's cattle ranch alongside 'em like our father expected me to. It also means breaking my mama's heart when I have to explain that her match-making isn't much appreciated.

What I need is a good, old-fashioned, pretend girlfriend. A woman who'll charm my family while hanging off my arm looking at me like I hung the stars just for her. Someone who'll fool Mom into thinking I'm ready to settle down so she'll stop hassling me till I can get settled in.

Too bad Serenity only agrees to the ruse to get first-hand access to the local history that will help her score a job promotion back in the city, because when I say she's what I need, it turns out, I mean forever.

AMAZON US

AMAZON UK

AMAZON CA

AMAZON AU

Y'all-- I'm exhausted. Mentally, emotionally, physically-- existentially. (yawn.)

It's just after 1 a.m. at the moment and I honestly forgot I had a release today!

I mean-- what author forgets they have a new release?! Who does that?!!

Fortunately, I remembered before I tapped out on my Wednesday night and manged to unbury the laptop from the pile of stuff it had sunk to the bottom of so I could whip out this rather lackluster email. (Sorry.)

I made it back to the house after my long-way-home impromptu road trip slash camping trip to the house here being in chaos as the BFF's remodel efforts ramp up against her deadlines.

I've spent the week eyeballs-deep in my own remodel projects on the little hobo house trailer because...gosh dangit, did I not want to leave my campsite!

It's obviously time for me to get back to my nomad ways. Especially since it seems like I'm only good at focusing on writing when I'm removed from civilization these days.

I upgraded my refrigerator in the camper months ago, but haven't been able to use it because one: I haven't been living in the camper and, two: the night time (and occasionally, day time) temperatures were consistently dropping below freezing through the winter months-- which means the interior temps in the trailer were dropping below freezing as well-- and letting the solar panels charge the battery when the battery is below freezing could destroy a very expensive Lithium battery pack. So everything has been unplugged and put up for the winter while I've been here.

I've spent this week trying to build building a fancy pullout shelf-slash-drawer for the new fridge, since it is a chest-style unit that has to live under a cabinet.

That project went...poorly. There was much cursing and gnashing of teeth. Some wailing and moaning. Things might have gotten kicked.

Then, a second project (A proper backsplash for my sink because, for some reason I didn't think I needed one when I built the trailer out) also went...poorly.

Third project? Also poorly.

It's been a week of utter fail.

Much chocolate has been consumed.

Today, all projects were entirely dismantled, re-imagined, and worked perfectly.

Much chocolate was consumed in celebration.

And temperatures above freezing mean I was able to plug in the solar and run the fridge continuously to get a feel for how much more energy it's going to consume. And to keep the Pepsi cold.

I'm thrilled to report that the trailer is almost ready to roll again.

Now I just have to get everything put away again-- it looks like a teenager's bedroom in my tiny space.

I have plans to add an epilogue to Ranger's book in the very near future (I argued and argued with the manuscript while I was working on it and it just refused to cooperate with me.) And I'll be rolling a die to determine which WIP is getting my attention next-- seeing as how there are now three of them.

Feel free to hit reply to this email and let me know which one you'd like to see next:

1. Another Moonshine Ridge mountain man book (lumberjacks, yo!)
2. A new mountain man book set in the neighboring community of Paradise Point.
3. The next Slow River Valley Ranch story-- Archer Dean and Callie's story.

~Rocklyn