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Red Valley Ranchers #1
The Cowboy's Return
A good man is hard to find
Single mom Annie Barnard needed a new beginning for her young son and a miracle for her run-down farm. Enter Mitch Ryder, the sexy blue-eyed handyman who answered her call for help. Their attraction was instant, and with Mitch's tender ministrations, more than Annie's farm began springing back to life….
Mitch yearned for a fresh start of his own—or at least more time before he had to return to the life he left behind. And what better way to avoid his past than to mistakenly slip into the role of Annie's handyman? But he'd never counted on falling for Annie and her precious son. His true identity might be hidden, but his feelings toward Annie might be too strong to hide…..
Single mom Annie Barnard needed a new beginning for her young son and a miracle for her run-down farm. Enter Mitch Ryder, the sexy blue-eyed handyman who answered her call for help. Their attraction was instant, and with Mitch's tender ministrations, more than Annie's farm began springing back to life….
Mitch yearned for a fresh start of his own—or at least more time before he had to return to the life he left behind. And what better way to avoid his past than to mistakenly slip into the role of Annie's handyman? But he'd never counted on falling for Annie and her precious son. His true identity might be hidden, but his feelings toward Annie might be too strong to hide…..
- GenresRomance
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 2013
7 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Susan Crosby
209 books29 followersAnd they lived happily ever after.
I’ve always loved that sentence. There is such hope in those words, such faith in the future and ever-after love. I’ve always been a believer, which led me to being a reader of romance novels long before I began to write them. The dance of courtship between a man and a woman, sometimes slow and bluesy, sometimes wild and uninhibited, is sheer bliss to me. And the best part about writing is creating these two dancers who find their perfect partners out of all the other people on the planet.
What brings them together? What could tear them apart? Why do they stick it out through the bad times? Why do they fall more in love with each other every day? Finding the answers to these questions intrigues me. Who are you? I ask them. Some characters give me an hour-long monologue; others clam up until I push the right buttons. Eventually, I get them all to talk, even if I have to torture them a little.
On my journey to becoming a writer, I did a lot of the usual things—married, had children, attended college a little later than the average coed and earned a B.A. in English. Some not-so-usual things happened, too. Life constantly changes, and so we must grow. It’s not a bad thing.
I’ve been fortunate enough to win some awards and receive some honors, which are listed elsewhere on this site. I’ve had the great privilege of working with an exceptional editor from my first book on. My community of writers spans the entire country—smart, funny and loyal people who share and give and support. Without them, this once-upon-a-time journey wouldn’t be anywhere near as fun.
I’ve always loved that sentence. There is such hope in those words, such faith in the future and ever-after love. I’ve always been a believer, which led me to being a reader of romance novels long before I began to write them. The dance of courtship between a man and a woman, sometimes slow and bluesy, sometimes wild and uninhibited, is sheer bliss to me. And the best part about writing is creating these two dancers who find their perfect partners out of all the other people on the planet.
What brings them together? What could tear them apart? Why do they stick it out through the bad times? Why do they fall more in love with each other every day? Finding the answers to these questions intrigues me. Who are you? I ask them. Some characters give me an hour-long monologue; others clam up until I push the right buttons. Eventually, I get them all to talk, even if I have to torture them a little.
On my journey to becoming a writer, I did a lot of the usual things—married, had children, attended college a little later than the average coed and earned a B.A. in English. Some not-so-usual things happened, too. Life constantly changes, and so we must grow. It’s not a bad thing.
I’ve been fortunate enough to win some awards and receive some honors, which are listed elsewhere on this site. I’ve had the great privilege of working with an exceptional editor from my first book on. My community of writers spans the entire country—smart, funny and loyal people who share and give and support. Without them, this once-upon-a-time journey wouldn’t be anywhere near as fun.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 23, 2018
Quick, sweet read.
August 15, 2013
Good book. Mitch is back in Red Valley after three years away. He's not really ready to return to his family's ranch, so when his truck breaks down in front of Annie's place he goes along with her assumption that he's a handyman. He's attracted to her, but with him hiding his identity from her he knows it's a bad idea to get involved. But his heart isn't getting the message.
I liked both Mitch and Annie. Annie got the farm in the divorce settlement with her ex-husband. She loves having a settled home for herself and her son after years of a vagabond existence. She is determined to make a success of her fledgling organic farm and is counting on Mitch's help for some of the physically intense repairs. Mitch's presence is a bit of a problem for her. She needs his help but the attraction she feels for him worries her. She knows he's hiding more than just his name but she doesn't seem to care. Besides doing everything she needs him to do on the farm, he's giving her son a male role model he really needs. I really loved her farming efforts and how she is so determined to make it succeed. I enjoyed seeing the things she did to improve the business. I also liked the way that she accepted Mitch's desire to stay away from people he might know but also realized that it may cause trouble in the long run. I loved seeing her stand up to the people who are trying to buy her land. When she finds out who Mitch is she is angry and also hurt because she feels like she's been used. I liked seeing her accept Mitch's help at the end and how it enabled her to really get to know him.
Mitch left his family's ranch three years earlier after his grandfather's death. Besides dealing with the loss of the man he felt really understood him, he was furious with his father's refusal to listen to any of his ideas for their ranch. Now he's back but he's still not ready to face his family. Being mistaken for Annie's handyman seems like the answer to a prayer. He doesn't expect the intense attraction to her or how much he enjoys being around her son. I liked Mitch. Other than his lie about who he was, he is a pretty awesome man. I loved seeing how patient he was with Austin and how much he enjoyed working with the boy. I also loved the way that he was so impressed with Annie's intent to make a go of her farm and how hard she was working at it. I liked the way that he refused to be the snake that his father suggested. Even though Mitch wasn't sure that Annie would succeed I loved the way that he wanted to help her make the best effort she could. I loved seeing him refuse to give up on Annie at the end and how he just kept coming back. It was great how his persistence paid off.
I admit that I was not impressed by Mitch's dad. I didn't like what he wanted Mitch to do and I didn't like the way that he refused to listen to Mitch. I sure hope he improves over the rest of the series. I did like his brothers and how they all supported each other. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
I liked both Mitch and Annie. Annie got the farm in the divorce settlement with her ex-husband. She loves having a settled home for herself and her son after years of a vagabond existence. She is determined to make a success of her fledgling organic farm and is counting on Mitch's help for some of the physically intense repairs. Mitch's presence is a bit of a problem for her. She needs his help but the attraction she feels for him worries her. She knows he's hiding more than just his name but she doesn't seem to care. Besides doing everything she needs him to do on the farm, he's giving her son a male role model he really needs. I really loved her farming efforts and how she is so determined to make it succeed. I enjoyed seeing the things she did to improve the business. I also liked the way that she accepted Mitch's desire to stay away from people he might know but also realized that it may cause trouble in the long run. I loved seeing her stand up to the people who are trying to buy her land. When she finds out who Mitch is she is angry and also hurt because she feels like she's been used. I liked seeing her accept Mitch's help at the end and how it enabled her to really get to know him.
Mitch left his family's ranch three years earlier after his grandfather's death. Besides dealing with the loss of the man he felt really understood him, he was furious with his father's refusal to listen to any of his ideas for their ranch. Now he's back but he's still not ready to face his family. Being mistaken for Annie's handyman seems like the answer to a prayer. He doesn't expect the intense attraction to her or how much he enjoys being around her son. I liked Mitch. Other than his lie about who he was, he is a pretty awesome man. I loved seeing how patient he was with Austin and how much he enjoyed working with the boy. I also loved the way that he was so impressed with Annie's intent to make a go of her farm and how hard she was working at it. I liked the way that he refused to be the snake that his father suggested. Even though Mitch wasn't sure that Annie would succeed I loved the way that he wanted to help her make the best effort she could. I loved seeing him refuse to give up on Annie at the end and how he just kept coming back. It was great how his persistence paid off.
I admit that I was not impressed by Mitch's dad. I didn't like what he wanted Mitch to do and I didn't like the way that he refused to listen to Mitch. I sure hope he improves over the rest of the series. I did like his brothers and how they all supported each other. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
June 3, 2013
Nothing pushes my buttons more with a romance than the contrivance of having one of the main characters conceal his/her true identity only to have the truth come out, right as they are about to come clean, causing conflict between the characters. It's too bad this book went this route, because I enjoyed Annie, Mitch and Austin.
October 18, 2013
The Cowboy's Return by Susan Crosby was a very good book. Annie needs help on her run down place. In comes a stranger. Mitch helps Annie. Annie didn't know Mitch's parent own a big ranch near her place. He has been trying to buy her place. Lots of mystery. I'm getting ready to read about another brother in the Red Valley Ranchers Series
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December 29, 2014"Crosby's tale is part romance, part mystery and all great drama. The tension between her stars is palpable, and their internal struggles are emotional and relatable." RT Book Reviews, rated 4 1/2 stars
Miniseries: Red Valley Ranchers
Category: Home and Family
Miniseries: Red Valley Ranchers
Category: Home and Family
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews