Author Spotlight - Excerpt from "Lone Star Joy"

Thanks so much for supporting Kathleen during her week in the spotlight. Leave a comment today, Saturday and Sunday and one lucky winner will be selected randomly to win an ebook copy of Kathleen's latest release, "Lone Star Joy." Enjoy the excerpt!

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Stamos stood over his new housekeeper and frowned. She looked a bit young to him. Hell, if she could get Dillon to sleep every night it would be worth it. He touched her shoulder. The panic in her big hazel eyes surprised him. "It's just me," he assured her.

Joy blinked twice and looked around the room. "What?"

"You must have fallen asleep."

"Oh. Well I want you to know that I never fall asleep in the saddle."

"Honey, as long as you can keep us happy you won't have to worry about the saddle." He knew instantly that he must have said the wrong thing. Her pale face turned bright red.

"George never said. I don't do that. I..." She bit her bottom lip.

"Whoa. What's this about George?"

"He said you were on the up and up with your work release program. He never mentioned me making anyone happy."

"I think we're talking about two different things. Here give me Dillon." Stamos leaned down and took the sleeping baby from her. "Now let's start from the beginning. I'm Stamos Walker and you are?"

Her whole body tensed. "I'm Joy Courtland. I'm the horse wrangler. I'm on the prison work release program."

Stamos softly swore. "George sent you here? You're not the new housekeeper?"

Joy shook her head. "Is there a problem?"

"I don't hire women to work on my ranch. George knows it too."

"If you would just give me a chance." Her bright blue eyes were too big for her thin face. In fact, all of her looked down right thin, except for the glorious chestnut braid that hung down her back. It looked as thick as his wrist.

"Listen, can you hold Dillon while I make a phone call?"

Joy stretched out her arms and took the baby, cuddling him to her. Stamos gave her a curt nod and walked to the phone across the room.

"Well, Dillon, I guess it's back to the women's penitentiary." She looked down at Dillon and sighed. "You sure are a cute one, but I guess it makes no never mind to me." Her braid hung over her shoulder and Dillon grabbed it. "Ouch. You little dickens. Give me my hair back." Dillon held on tighter with both hands this time.

"Well if you don't beat all. You are a handful. Full of piss and vinegar I'd say. Cute as a doodle bug, but a handful." She smiled, as she tried to pry his hands from her hair.

Stamos watched, trying not to laugh. Dillon had pulled his hair a time or two and he knew how much it hurt. This little gal acted like it was all a game. She was good with his son.

He picked up a plastic horse that was Dillon's favorite and tried to entice him with it. "Dill, come on now, let go of the sweet lady's hair."

"Dillon," Joy cajoled, "come play horsey with your daddy." She stared at Stamos. “Maybe if you made horse sounds."

Stamos thought she was a bit daft, but he tried it. Dillon immediately let go of Joy's hair, which she put behind her, and reached for the horse. "I'll be damned. It worked," he said.

"I talked to George." He watched her face close and her body tense. "It doesn't make sense. I run a work release program for non-violent offenders, male non-violent offenders. You don't qualify for either. I don't know what to do with you. I feel bad, but you'll have to go back in the morning. Will I have to worry about you running off ?"

Buy links: Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Lasso-Springs-Book-Two-ebook/dp/B009EJ1ZQQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1348518703&sr=1-1&keywords=lone+Star+joy
My website: www.kathleenballromance.com