THE BULL RIDER'S FAMILY - Leigh Duncan
Glades County Cowboy Series - Book 1
Harlequin American Romance #1500
ISBN-13: 978-0-373-75521-9
May 2014
Series Romance

Glades County, Florida - Present Day

Emma Shane first meets Seth and Doris Judd at a Cattleman's Award dinner she helps to cater.  They love her food, and after eating meals she prepared in the fancy New York restaurant she works for, they invite her to move to Southern Florida.  Emma turns down the invitation, but months later, after one too many melt-downs by the head chef at the restaurant where she works, she opens a letter from Seth.  He has put his offer of employment in writing.  Emma packs up her four-year-old daughter Bree and heads south.

Sadly, Emma arrives at the Circle P Ranch on the day of Seth's funeral and runs straight into the angst and bitterness of his son Colt, who's taking over his father's job temporarily.  The household is in turmoil, but Emma walks straight into the kitchen and gets started on her new job before she unpacks even one suitcase.

Seth's wife, Doris, planned to retire with Seth, leaving Emma to take over the kitchen of the large ranching operation after a suitable length of time training for the job.  Now, all Doris wants is to leave for California with her eldest son Garrett so she can fly home with him and help his wife Arlene until their baby is born.  Doris has spent thirty-seven years at the Circle P, and now without Seth, she needs to get away.  So, she leaves Emma with a few verbal instructions, an old family recipe book, and her over-bearing son Colt in charge. 

Emma has longed for the peace she can get at the Circle P Ranch.  She's traded her success in the New York kitchen for the advantages of raising her daughter in a casual environment.  Emma has a lot to learn about ranching life, but she knows her job, and she's an excellent chef.

Colt Judd is one of five Judd sons, and he's come back home to run the ranch temporarily until the brothers can work out a system, then it's back to his job with the PBR (Professional Bull Riders Association).  Colt knows how to run the ranch and he's now responsible for teaching Emma how to run his mother's kitchen.  Emma wants to introduce fancy food to his cowboys, and Colt steadfastly refuses to let this upstart female chef take over and change things that have worked for over four generations.  But when Emma almost destroys the treasured family cookbook, it throws the two of them together constantly as Emma struggles to pull knowledge from Colt's memory and recreate the family recipes.

THE BULL RIDER'S FAMILY belongs to Colt Judd and his brothers, but a new family can be his if he plays his cards correctly.  Emma Shane longs for peace and tranquility for herself and her daughter, away from the hustle and craziness of a restaurant kitchen.  She's determined to make this job work, if only to keep that promise of a quiet life for little Bree.  Sparks fly from the moment Colt and Emma meet, and the feelings get stronger as the days move forward while they learn to work with each other.

THE BULL RIDER'S FAMILY is the first book in a new series, Glades County Cowboys .  The second book, HIS FAVORITE COWGIRL, will be released in October 2014.

THE BULL RIDER'S FAMILY is a winner!

Diana Risso