Justin: The Burnett Brides, #10

By Sylvia McDaniel

Can a Romance Writer Tame a Grumpy Cowboy?

 

Grumpy cowboy Justin Burnett has built an emotional barrier around his heart. All he wants to do is work with the cattle, and yet his Aunt Rose has given him a special task – show a romance writer how a working ranch runs. Having her do the dirtiest jobs on the ranch should send her fleeing, but she's not falling for his tactics. She's doing research and he's part of the plan.

 

Humiliated by her unscrupulous boss, Mandy Perez went from being a journalist to a successful romance author. Only problem is she doesn't believe in love. She's not even sure she can put up with men, but she can weave fantasies that women adore. When one grumpy cowboy tries to send her running, she decides that's not happening.

 

In this enemies-to-lovers romance, can a matchmaking ghost ignite the spark between them or will the past destroy their chance at happiness?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Virtual Bookseller, LlC
• Release date: Jan 14, 2024
• ISBN: 9781959689140

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Justin Burnett felt like he was a teenager once again being called into the principal’s office for misbehaving. Only this time, Aunt Rose had summoned him to her office.

As he walked down the lane, past the cabins, the sounds of children playing in the pool caught his attention. The Burnett Ranch was in the midst of a very busy summer.

The dude ranch was booked out for the rest of the season. All the cabins were filled to capacity. And the guests were milling about the ranch taking part in the different activities. Sometimes he felt like they were running a camp for adults.

He couldn’t wait until fall because then the guests would leave and he could get back to full-time ranching, not catering to the wanna-be cowboy or listening to kids scream or their parents complain. He didn’t much like people.

A little boy stepped out from the barn into his path.

Who goes there? he asked, wearing a cowboy hat that was too big for his small head. The kid pulled out a toy gun and pointed it at him.

Who’s asking, he said, growling at the child. This kid wasn’t much past the ankle-biting stage.

I’m not afraid of you, the little boy said as he pushed his cowboy hat up out of his eyes.

Well, you should be, he replied. Who was this kid’s mother? Where was she?

The little boy gazed up at him. My momma says you’re mean.

Good, he said to the boy, wishing he would get out of his way. The kid was cute, but that didn’t mean he wanted to interact with him.

She says you’re grumpy, the little boy said, the wind trying to blow his cowboy hat off. The little guy wore kid-sized chaps that covered his pants and a western shirt.

The kid clutched the overlarge hat with one hand while trying to hold his fake pistol pointed toward Justin.

A rumble came from deep within Justin. She’s right. I am grumpy. Now step aside or shoot me. And don’t point that gun at the guests or I’ll talk to your mother.

The boy’s eyes widened.

The little boy stepped out of his way and Justin continued to the office building.

Bang, bang, bang, the kid yelled. You’re dead.

Justin whirled around and pretended to shoot him back with his finger gun. That would probably only encourage the kid and that wasn’t good. He needed to leave him alone.

Kids didn’t know how good they had it, especially if their parents were decent people. Justin’s family had imploded when he was young, and he’d learned a long time ago that being snarly and mean kept people away.

Stepping into the office building, he took the elevator to the second floor where his aunt waited for him.

The older woman was the head of Burnett Enterprises and she ruled the place like a queen instead of a director. And if you got on her bad side, she could make your life a living hell.

Justin stayed on her bad side. And she treated him like he was sixteen instead of twenty-six.

Being summoned was not exactly where he wanted to find himself on a late Friday afternoon. Today was their relaxing day. Another group of guests would be leaving tomorrow morning and more arriving in the afternoon.

Tonight, the rodeo would be the final event of the week and then they could unwind until in the morning. Tomorrow, all the activities would begin anew.

Saturday was their busiest day of the week with guests leaving and checking in.

Rapping on her office door, she called out to him. Come in.

Taking off his hat, he opened the door and walked inside. Sitting behind her desk, the gray-haired woman was focused on a large checkbook on her desk.

You wanted to see me, Aunt Rose, he said, knowing better than to sit until she told him to.

The older woman had never married, and for that reason alone, he thought she was smarter than some of the other people who could be in charge of the family business.

Rumor was that when she was young, she had been engaged and backed out. But he didn’t care. Just like him, she was single, and he planned on remaining a free man.

Growing up in his parents’ marriage from hell, he would never take a chance even though his brothers had found happiness. He wasn’t willing to risk finding himself wed to a crazy woman. And most women were definitely a little on the strange side. Especially his deceased mother.

As for children, never, since he wasn’t going to marry.

Take a seat, she said. I’m almost done.

She was writing paper checks. Was that why he was called into her office? She was going to give him a bonus? That thought had him swallowing the chuckle that rose in him. The woman was tighter with cash than a virgin on her wedding night.

At twenty-one, he’d received his trust fund, but the rest of his money he had to work for. And Aunt Rose was not one to give away the Burnett billions. Hell, he couldn’t get her to let him do some upgrades to the way they raised their cattle.

It seemed like their ranch was stuck in the 1800s. And he longed to make them the most modern spread in the state of Texas.

Some of us still do things the old-fashioned way, she said, glancing up at him. I still pay our bills with a handwritten check.

And they still raised cattle the old-fashion way. It was crazy that a huge outfit like theirs had not made it into the twenty-first century with their technology. Two of the many things the ranch needed to update were banking and cattle raising.

Check fraud is the biggest crime in the country, he said, wondering why he was telling her this. It would be a total waste of his breath. It’s better if you pay your bills online.

Her head rose and she stared at him. Do I look like the type of person who can use a computer?

Bingo. A total waste of time trying to upgrade the ranch or the people in charge.

No, he said, thinking he could offer to help her, but then changed his mind. He didn’t want to have the responsibility of showing her how to use a computer or the necessary program to pay the bills. Getting calls in the middle of the night to help her get the damn thing to work was not his idea of fun.

She was not a patient woman, and teaching her computer skills was not his priority in life. And she would try him to no end, so this was just a dead-end subject.

She finished writing the check and slipped it into an envelope.

When she added the envelope to a stack, she closed the checkbook and sighed.

I’ve got a job for you.

Oh, great. This could not be good. The Burnett Ranch was the premier family vacation ranch destination. Justin did his best to avoid the families and concentrate on taking care of the cattle and other livestock.

People were often difficult and he didn’t have the patience for their complaints.

With a college degree, he felt his education was a huge waste of his time and money. There were so many things they could change for the better.

Right now, he was focused on trying to breed a certain type of cattle. If he was successful, then he hoped to take their cattle production into the new century. Of course, it was all being done in secret because he knew she would never approve. He’d even used some of his own money to purchase the bull semen.

He’d studied animal husbandry in school and that was where he wanted to focus his attention. Not on the city slickers who brought their kids here to experience what the old west was about and brought their modern technology with them.

How many times had he watched as the kids played games on their phones instead of participating in the activities? And no, he wasn’t their personal babysitter.

For a while, they had pretend gunfights, but quickly decided that was too dangerous. Even with blanks, they were taking a risk that none of them were willing to chance. Staring down the street at a gun being pointed at you was terrifying for everyone involved.

What kind of job? he asked, not certain he would do what she wanted. Even though no one in the family told Aunt Rose no. Not if you wanted to keep your job.

We have a special guest coming to visit and I think you need the practice, she said. You seem bored. You don’t like being around the guests. You’re grumpy, cantankerous, and so hard to get along with that no one wants to work with you.

It was true. He would not deny the allegations.

It seems obvious that I’m not the best candidate to show a special guest around the ranch. Most of the other members of our family would do a much better job, he said, wondering why she was trying to force him to change.

His aunt smiled and leaned back in her chair. The old woman was a smart manipulator. He’d need to outmaneuver her somehow.

You’re right. I could choose from any one of your cousins and they would do just fine. But I’m giving you this guest as a challenge. A chance to improve your social skills. To do better. You can’t even get along with the kids we have around here.

Had she heard and seen him when he walked over to the building telling the little brat to get out of his way?

Maybe I don’t want my social skills to improve. Maybe I want people to leave me alone. It’s easier that way.

It was true.

You walk around here like you have a cob stuck up your butt. You have a snarly attitude, you’re testy and mean, and I’m tired of it. We’re running a guest ranch here, and we want our visitors to feel like they can approach anyone and feel welcomed. Your attitude can either improve or you can go out and work in the real world where they won’t put up with your bullshit. Are we clear?

A growl tried to erupt from his chest, but he quickly pushed it down. Now would not be the time to show his displeasure at her comments. Even though they were true.

What do you want me to do? he asked, trying to be calm and not let the surliness escape in his voice. Who do you want me to show the ranch to?

We have a young woman arriving tomorrow and she wants to learn about ranching. I’ll expect you to escort her around and explain different things about how things are done. She will be your top priority next week. The other guests I’ll find someone else to handle. If you screw this up, you’re out, his aunt said.

Why was she picking on him? He hadn’t done anything to make guests upset.

Tell me what I’ve done that is so wrong?

A grimace crossed his aunt’s face. You told a woman she was as dumb as a box of rocks.

She was. She wanted to milk a cow and I had already explained we don’t have dairy cows here. She thought you could milk just any cow.

Regardless, she was a paying guest, his aunt said. You scared two little kids and your cousins had to talk the father out of beating the crap out of you.

They were trying to go swimming in the pond. I’d warned them twice already about staying out of the water, he said. Their parents were letting them run wild.

No need to make them cry, she said. You told a woman who was complaining about the food that she could afford to miss a meal.

That one he kind of deserved, but the woman had done nothing but complain. And she looked just like his mother.

The meal was perfectly fine. You know our cook is one of the best. She was complaining because she didn’t like fish, he said. If she hadn’t been such a bitch, I would have gotten her chicken.

His aunt shook her head. Again, she is a paying guest and we do everything to make certain they have a good time so they will tell their friends about our ranch. You can’t be mean, even if you know what they’re saying isn’t true. Just this week, I’ve had three complaints about you.

So, Aunt Rose, you want me to take this woman around the ranch this week and make certain she’s happy? You want me to let our guests try to milk one of our cows, even though the cow doesn’t have tits? You want me to let the children play in the pond where there could be a water moccasin? And if a guest complains about the food, I should just do whatever it takes to make them happy?

Justin, you are not helping the situation with your attitude, she said.

No, he wasn’t and he knew it.

All right, I will do my best to make certain she learns about the ranch, he said.

All I’m asking is that you do better, Aunt Rose said gazing at him.

He sat there absorbing what she’d said. Yes, he was deliberately grumpy most of the time, but it was a way to keep people away. And it worked quite well.

Did you look at my proposal about the new ear tabs for our cattle?

Sometimes he just wanted someone to take his ideas seriously. Why had he gone to college and gotten his degree if no one ever listened to his ideas? Their ranch was still being run just like it had over one hundred years ago. It was time they moved into modern ranching.

We’ll discuss it at the next board meeting, she said.

And when will that be?

September, she said. You know that.

Yes, he did. But he was hoping to get their approval before then. Sometimes he wanted to take his trust fund and purchase his own ranch and do his own thing, but then he remembered how many people were needed to run this operation.

If only they would show interest in his ideas, he could make a difference.

I’ll make a presentation at the board meeting so everyone can see how these ear tags can be effective and help us improve our herd, he told his aunt. But he could already see that she was not really interested in hearing what he had to say.

Mandy Perez is the guest you will be working closely with, she said as she rose from behind the desk. Oh, and by the way, she’s a romance writer. Don’t disappoint me, Justin.

That was his clue she was done reprimanding