Shannon here: Yay! I’m so excited! I got my box of Sweetheart Reunion yesterday. This is a repackaging of my title, Reuniting with the Cowboy with Tina Radcliffe’s Rocky Mountain Cowboy in one volume. My mom happened to be at our house and she’d never been there for a box opening. I told her it never gets old. My husband says it never ceases to amaze him when he flips through my books and sees my name at the top of the pages. So to help us celebrate, here’s a romantic excerpt and a yummy recipe for Four Layer Delight. Comment or answer the question at the end of the post to enter the drawing. Tina and I are giving away 2 copies. Print for U.S. and e-book for international. Deadline: May 11th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s me:
Excerpt from Reuniting the Cowboy by Shannon Taylor Vannatter:
Ally stepped out and strolled casually toward the farmhouse next door.
She’d just wanted to be a vet, not run an animal shelter. Yet after a client had brought her an injured stray, word had gotten out. And before she knew it, Ally’s Adopt-a-Pet was born.
But she was running out of room. Thank goodness the inspector had already come for the year. If the state showed up tonight, she’d get written up for being over her limit. All she could do now was sweet-talk her new neighbor. And hope whoever it was liked animals.
Trying not to let her nerves show, she balanced the dessert in one hand, then unlatched the gate between the properties and stepped through.
The horse trailer by the barn had to mean something. Ally’s heart rattled. Surely their new neighbor wouldn’t mind a few dogs since he, she or they clearly liked horses. Surely.
A cacophony of barks and yips echoed from the barn behind her clinic. Her volunteers—three girls from the local youth group—strolled the property walking several of the dogs. She waved a greeting and climbed her neighbor’s porch steps.
Who was she kidding? There were way more than a few dogs, with a generous sprinkling of cats, plus the pets she
boarded for her traveling clients. And if she tried to shush the menagerie, it usually only made the racket worse.
Maybe she should wait until the teens left and the dogs settled down a bit.
The door swung open.
Cody Warren—in the flesh. Tall, muscular, with hair the smoky brown shade of a Weimaraner and soothing aloe eyes.
Ally gasped. Twelve years since his kiss had changed her world. Twelve years since he’d left to follow his dream.
Twelve years of trying to forget.
The glass dish slipped from her hand.
***
Cody grabbed the dish, his hands closing over hers. His breath caught.
Ally. On his porch.
Same old Ally. Long waves the color of a dark bay horse’s coat, usually twined in a thick braid but loose today and spilling over her slender shoulders. Cautious coffee-colored eyes as skittish as a newborn colt.
He’d succumbed to her charms once. It had rearranged his insides and altered everything. Who would have thought one kiss would put the wariness in her eyes, build an uncomfortable wall between them and cause Ally to spend all that time since avoiding him? All because of his disobedient lips.
“Cody?” Her voice went up an octave. “You’re my new neighbor?”
“Looks like.” And now he’d gone and moved in next door to her. Maybe not the best way to keep his distance. “Let me take this.” He scooped the dish out of her hands.
“I thought you’d be back on the circuit by now.” Her gaze dropped to his shirt collar.
“I…um…I decided not to go back to the rodeo.” More like his doctor decided for him. And that little bubble in his brain had something to say about it, too. “Aubrey is home and I needed a place of my own.”
“You bought the place next to me?”
“This was the only land available with enough acreage to start a ranch.” Technically leasing, with an option to buy. If he decided to have surgery. And lived.
She hugged herself. “What happened to Aubrey not being big enough for you?”
“Things change.” A brain aneurysm changed lots of things. “Does your mom still live with you?”
“She does.” She bit her lip. “Okay, yeah, I still live at home. But it’s the perfect place for my vet practice-slash-shelter and Mom’s my office manager at the clinic.”
“Come on in.” He stepped aside, striving for casual, despite the drumming of his heart. “And tell me this is a pecan chocolate four-layer delight.”
“It is. Mom made it, but I didn’t come to stay.” She glanced toward her place.
“You got a passel of kids waiting for you?”
“Um, no.” Sarcasm laced her words. “Surely you know I’m not married.”
“I meant the teenage girls out there walking dogs, but it looks like they’re leaving.”
“Oh.” Pink tinged her cheeks. “They volunteer to make sure all of the animals get attention and exercise.”
“Since they’re leaving, I figure you can stay and help me eat this.” He took her by the elbow and led her into the empty kitchen. Warmth swept through him. Shouldn’t have touched her. Not even her elbow.
Four Layer Delight
1 stick butter
1 c. pecans
1 c. flour
2 (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 c. powdered sugar
2 containers Cool Whip
2 small boxes chocolate instant pudding
3 C. milk
Use a 13 x 9 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees.
Mix together butter, pecans and flour. Press into baking dish and bake 20 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes.
Cream together cream cheese and powdered sugar. Fold in 1 container Cool Whip. Spread on cooled crust.
Blend together instant puddings and milk for 2-3 minutes; pour over cream cheese mixture. Cool for 20 minutes.
Spread 1 container Cool Whip over top and garnish with pecans. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours (or overnight) before serving.
My mom makes it with vanilla pudding with coconut in the crust and on top instead of chocolate with pecans. Since my husband likes the chocolate version, I make both. I buy one box vanilla and one chocolate, then split it down the middle with half and half. That way we’re both happy.
About Shannon: Award winning author, Shannon Taylor Vannatter writes contemporary Christian cowboy romance and has over a dozen published titles. A romance reader since her teens, she hopes to entertain Christian women and plant seeds in the non-believer’s heart as she demonstrates that love doesn’t conquer all—Jesus does.
She gleans fodder for her fiction in rural Arkansas where she spent her teenage summers working the concession stand with her rodeo announcing dad and married a Texan who morphed into a pastor. In her spare time, she loves hanging out with her husband and son, flea marketing, and doing craft projects.
Learn more and connect:
Shannon’s Website Shannon’s Blog Shannon’s Facebook
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About the book – Reuniting with the Cowboy:
The Cowboy Next Door
A charming cowboy moving in next door shouldn’t be bad news. But veterinarian Ally Curtis knows Cody Warren—she’d never forget the boy who left her when she needed him most. Cody is doing everything he can to show his beautiful neighbor he’s not the wild bull rider he once was, from helping her find homes for her beloved strays, to protecting her when her business is threatened. But Cody has a secret that keeps him from fully reaching out. Yet as they continue to work together to promote her shelter, he can’t keep himself from hoping that Ally might have a home for him…in her heart.
Can’t wait for the drawing? Get your copy now: Sweetheart Reunion – christianbook.com
Question for Readers: What’s your go to dish for company, a new neighbor, or a sick friend or family member?
Come back May 7th for Mary Davis!
In winter, I often share a pot of chili but last night, I took a roast, cooked with potatoes and onions, and and green beans to a neighbor who had surgery last week. I also have a Peanut Butter Pie that I usually end up taking to our church potlucks and as a donation to our Fire Dept. fundraiser each OctoberThanks for sharing this dessert recipe. It is 11 am and I have a sudden “hankering” for chocolate pudding, cream cheese and pecans!
I look forward to reading Sweetheart Reunion.
Food after a surgery or illness is such a blessing, Connie. My husband had surgery a few weeks ago. We had so many people from our church wanting to bring dishes, I had to hold some of them off. And once when we were both sick and contagious, a church member brought chili and left it on our porch. I make a vegetable beef soup for those occasions, the four layer delight for special things like birthdays, and chicken enchiladas for potluck or company.
a butter pound cake or a pie is my go to dish
Butter pound cake sounds good, Shelia. I made a buttercream cake last week. Anything with butter is always good.
I make the Pioneer Woman’s a sour cream noodle bake. Yummy!
What I bring varies, but last time it was taco soup and homemade cornbread and a salad.
I’ve taken taco soup to people who like spice too, Perrianne. I think I could live on it.
Chicken quinoa salad with grapes, dried cranberries, and almonds.
So healthy MJSJ. And yummy sounding. I love Omega 3 Trail Mix. It has sweetened cranberries, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds, pecans, and pistachios. Yum.
It would depend on why I’m making a meal, but I’d have to say my “go to” dish is chicken casserole. It’s a like tuna noodle casserole, but you use canned chicken, corn and cream of chicken soup instead of the traditional tuna casserole ingredients. This book sounds very interesting. Thank you for the chance to win a copy.
Carole Rohde and Danie won this drawing. I appreciate everyone else for stopping by.