Page 1 of Mad About Her Cowboys

Chapter One

Cowboys and ranches and horses, oh my!

Madison Meade laughed nervously at the weird Wizard of Oz-esque mantra stuck in her head. It had been on replay since she’d left Gillette almost two hours ago. In a whirlwind, she’d flown in with her three large suitcases yesterday, bought a car to replace the one she’d sold back in Detroit then stayed the night at a local hotel before heading to Daly to start her new job. Most of her worldly belongings were in the trunk and backseat, all fitting in those bags she’d brought. Four other boxes would be delivered via UPS in the coming days. That’s how little she owned after selling all her furniture, not wanting to lug it most of the way across the country to the state of Wyoming.

This move was all about a new start.

New job.

New town.

New home with all the trappings.

Her hand settled over her belly while tension and butterflies jumped through her.

A new life. A whole new life.

She sucked in an excited breath as the sign welcoming her to Daly came into view. This was it. She was here. Her brand new start. Her do-over.

Slowing from highway speed as she entered the city limits, she tried to take everything in. She hadn’t actually been to the small town before today, and the quaint, Norman Rockwell view before her wrapped a warm blanket of belonging around her. This was it. Her perfect home.

It hadn’t been long since she’d been in this area, though. She hadn’t been to Daly proper. On her trip here, she’d only gotten as far as the Flying D ranch, situated on the northern outskirts of the town. She’d spent her entire visit there, while attending her friend Moon’s wedding and everything surrounding it. Somehow, she’d never quite made it to Daly’s Main street. Now, Moon’s twin, Madison’s best friend River, was leaving her job with the local doctor, and Madison had been hired to replace her. Everything had happened so fast—the Skype interview, being offered the job, selling everything and moving.

And here, she was.

Madison’s gaze swept left and right almost overwhelmed by the sleepy street. Dusk was coming, but lights on the old-fashioned lampposts gleamed through the coming gloom. Being the beginning of November, they’d already decorated for the holidays. Wreaths hung from the poles and garlands with multi-colored lights draped the tops of the shop windows.

She passed the bed and breakfast where she’d stay for the time being, and the auto shop/gas station combo. To her left, the town hotspot seemed to be the diner. A plethora of dirt-covered pickups were parked near and around it, and through the window, she saw the place was nearly bursting with cowboys. Cowboys…so many cowboys. She forced her gaze away and kept on to the doctor’s office a half block away to her right. She was meeting Riv and the doctor before settling into her temporary lodgings.

This place was a dream come true, a restart when she most needed it, the only black spots were the circumstances under which River was leaving Detroit and the reason for her coming here. Everything about the brain tumor, especially Riv’s terminal diagnosis, terrified Madison, though coming from an oncology office, she’d dealt with the same conditions often. She’d rather not have this opportunity if it meant River wouldn’t deal with this. If ever something was bittersweet, this was it. Good for Madison; horrible for her friend. Madison was just glad she’d be able to spend the time with River before the tumor took her from all those she loved.

She pulled into the angled parking in front of Doc Walker’s office. The place looked dark, and she knew it had closed about an hour ago. Being November, night fell early, and with no big-city lights everything seemed darker, even with the quaint streetlights. River opened the office door with a wide smile on her face.

“Welcome home!” she yelled, seeming to all the world to be carefree and happy. Madison saw the strain around her eyes, though.

“Hey,” she replied, hugging Riv tight before stepping back. “Oh my gosh, this place…” She looked around and indicated the town.

“I know, right? It’s like stepping back into the 1950s or something. Don’t worry. They’re pretty modern in their attitudes—and they have fancy coffee and Wi-Fi at Leena’s.”

“The diner? Yeah, it looks pretty busy,” Madison said, following River inside the office. The waiting area was darkened, but she saw lights coming from the back.

“It’s the place to be most nights,” River told her. “At least, it is if you’re a single cowboy who doesn’t want chuck-house grub or to cook for yourself. Leena makes great food, too. Though if I were you, I’d visit in the daytime not at night unless you want about a hundred marriage proposals at first glance.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“Not a lot of women around here, babe. You’ve just become a hot commodity.”

“Oh…” My God. She wasn’t so sure about that. A curvy girl with a lot of baggage—emotional and forthcoming anyway. She couldn’t imagine she’d be any man’s ideal, no matter how lonely he might be.

Riv patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll give you the full Daly rundown tomorrow. Let’s meet with Doc, then I need to get to family dinner.” She grimaced and tapped her temple. “Moon’s back from her honeymoon, so it’s time to tell them about this.”

“Oh, hon.”

River blinked hard. “It’s okay,” she said, her voice thick. “I’ll be…okay.”

Madison hugged her, knowing it wouldn’t be okay, but her friend needed her strength and support. “I’m here for you.”

“I know. I’m so glad you came.”

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