The Cowboy’s Intriguing Love - MacFarland Ranch Book 7 (ebook)

The Cowboy’s Intriguing Love is the seventh book in the MacFarland Ranch series. This is Tyler and Shayna’s story.

Most of his brothers have met amazing women and settled down – and Ty’s open to the possibility of doing the same. He’s not sure that the online dating profile that Nessa set up for him is the way to get there, though.

In fact, he plans to take the profile down just as soon as he can. Until he receives a message from a hot blonde in California …

Shayna’s lived in Summer Lake her whole life. She doesn’t expect that online dating will lead to her finding the man of her dreams, but she’s already dipped a toe, or two, in the dating pool at the lake – and it could use a good shot of chlorine.

When a well-meaning friend sends a message from her account to a hot cowboy in Montana, things might be looking up.
Exchanging messages with Ty is great, but is it crazy to think that they might get together in the real world?

She doesn’t know it, but there’s already someone who believes that she’s the one for him – and he doesn’t intend to let her go easily.

Chapter One

MacFarland Ranch, Paradise Valley, MT

Tyler sipped his coffee and scrolled through his emails. He didn’t know why he bothered, most of it was spam. The morning sun filtered in through the window, hitting the kitchen table where he was sitting and making him check his watch. He’d need to get a move on soon. As much as he enjoyed his quiet time before he started the day, he had to get over to the lodge and start preparing breakfast. He didn’t mind; he loved to cook. Although, he was looking forward to the day when he’d get to do something more creative than feeding the tourists who stayed at the lodge.

He looked up when his brother, Tanner, entered the kitchen and went straight to the coffee pot.

“You want a refill?”

“I’m good. I need to get my ass into gear.”

Tanner leaned back against the cabinets and grinned at him. “Any hits on your profile?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t play innocent with me; you’re checking to see if you have any messages on that dating site, aren’t you?”

Ty made a face. “No, I’m not. You know as well as I do that’s the girls’ idea, not mine.”

Tanner came and sat down beside him, turning the laptop so that he could see the screen. “You mean you haven’t gotten any interest, so you’re calling it a waste of time?”

“I had a bunch of messages – that’s why I’m calling it a waste of time.”

“Show me?”

“I don’t have time for this shit. I told you I need to get to work. I need to delete the profile as well. I already set the messages so that they’ll go straight to my spam folder.”

Tanner gave him a puzzled look. “They were that bad?”

He shrugged. “Some of them, yeah. I had everything from a fifty-three-year-old, who wanted to be my sugar mama, to a twenty-two-year-old, who wanted to call me daddy.” He shuddered. “And the worst of it is that, for all I know, either of them – any of them – could really be a forty-year-old dude. Talking online like that, you just can’t know, can you?”

“You could if you got them on a video call straight away. I mean, you can’t fake that.”

“I guess, but like I said, I’m over it.” He got to his feet. “And I need to get to the lodge.”

Tanner pulled the laptop closer to him. “Mind if I have a look?”

“Have at it – you’ll soon see what I mean. Just go to the site – my login’s saved.”

“Okay. Are you going to the bakery this afternoon?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there as soon as I clean up after lunch.” Ty smiled. “I’d skip it, but Nessa’s getting back today. Ace said that they’re going to hit the bakery on the way back from picking her up at the airport.”

Tanner laughed. “That’s so freaking awesome!”

Ty laughed with him. Tanner’s high-pitched impression of Nessa’s over-the-top enthusiasm sounded nothing like her, but it reminded Ty just how much fun Nessa was to have around.

He took his mug to the sink and dumped out the last of his coffee.

“Damn!” Tanner exclaimed as he peered at the screen.

Ty hurried back to peer over his shoulder. “What? What did you find?”

Tanner laughed. “Nothing. I’m messing with you, but now I know that if I can find you someone decent on here, you’re interested.”

Ty slapped the back of his head. “Not necessarily. I was just curious how you found someone that’d make you react like that so quickly.”

“I haven’t yet, but I’m going to poke around and see.”

“Yeah, knock yourself out. I’m out of here.”

“Want to give me a shout when you’re done for the day, and we can ride over to the bakery together?”

“Sure.”

“Okay. See ya later.”

~ ~ ~

Summer Lake, CA

Shayna climbed out of her Tahoe and slung her backpack over her shoulder before hurrying down the street toward the bakery. She had a whole afternoon to herself, well, not entirely to herself. She didn’t have to work a shift at any of her jobs, but she did have an assignment to finish. She didn’t need to turn it in until Sunday night, but after this afternoon, almost every minute of her time was scheduled for something else. She was helping out behind the bar at The Boathouse tonight, at Lily’s barn in the morning, then she had her regular shift at the grocery store, and …

She didn’t need to think about any of it right now. For the next couple of hours, she was going to sit in a booth, work on her assignment, drink some wonderful coffee, and maybe even splurge on one of Renée’s delicious cupcakes.

She paused when she spotted a couple going into the bakery. The man was wearing a cowboy hat – you didn’t see many of those in Summer Lake. In fact, there was only one cowboy hat Shayna could think of – and thought about far too often, if she was honest. That particular hat sat atop the head of one Chance Malone. Okay, so she might have a little crush on the man – she didn’t know many women who didn’t!

When she reached the bakery, she pushed the door open and took a deep breath, hoping that she wouldn’t blush or make a fool of herself. Chance was a safe guy to have a crush on; he was happily married to the not only lovely, but also very beautiful Hope, who was standing at the counter with him.

They both turned when Renée greeted her with a smile. “Hey, Shayna. April will be right with you. I’m giving myself an hour off to catch up with my friends.”

“Good for you.” Shayna smiled, and Hope smiled back. Chance nodded, sending a little thrill through her.

“Hey, Shayna!”

She dragged her gaze away from Chance and Hope, who were following Renée to one of the tables in the back. “Hi, April.”

“What can I get you? Are you here for one of your study sessions?”

“I am.”

“So, I should keep the coffee coming and not disturb you to check in, right?” April asked.

“Please on the coffee, but if you want to check in, that’d be awesome. I wouldn’t mind a chat if you get a break.”

April raised her eyebrows, and Shayna was a little surprised at herself. Usually, she preferred no interruptions so that she could concentrate while she worked. But sometimes, she wished that she had time for more of a life. She wished that she could give herself an hour off to catch up with her friends, like Renée was doing. Then again, she’d need friends to hang out with, before that would work.

She shrugged at April, who was giving her a puzzled look. “It’d be fun to catch up,” she explained. “And can I get one of the lemon and blueberry muffins?”

“Sure thing. Go find yourself a table and I’ll bring them over.”

Before Shayna knew it, an hour had passed. She sipped at the cold coffee that she’d forgotten all about while she worked. The good thing was that she’d gotten the assignment finished. She’d known that she was close to the end, but she hadn’t expected it to come together as well or as swiftly as it had.

She got up to go to the bathroom, and April smiled. “I’ll keep an eye on your things, and are you ready for a top up when you come out?”

“Please.” She carefully saved her work and closed down all the files.

When she got back to the table, April was busy serving a group of tourists who’d come in. Renée was still chatting and laughing with Chance and Hope, although it looked like they might be about to wrap things up. Shayna loved the way Chance rested his arm along the back of Hope’s chair, and the way she turned to look up at him every so often. He struck her as more the stoic type, but every now and then, Hope said something that made him laugh, and that was a sight to behold.

She blew out a sigh and turned back to her computer. She shouldn’t be watching them like that. They had the kind of relationship that she could only dream of, but that didn’t mean she should go wishing that she were Hope. If she wanted a relationship, she’d have to figure out how to make it happen – that was the way things worked for her. If she wanted something, she had to work her ass off for it.

She had the feeling that relationships didn’t happen that way though, there was an element of … she chuckled at the thought … chance involved. Relationships didn’t come about because you worked hard to find one – at least, not from what she’d seen. They seemed to just come out of nowhere.

She made a face at her computer and clicked onto the dating site. The out of nowhere thing hadn’t happened for her, so she was trying to be a bit more proactive. She’d set up a profile a while ago – just to look and see what was out there. She’d lived in Summer Lake her whole life, and it was evident that there was nothing here for her. Well, no one she would want to date, let alone have a relationship with.

She shouldn’t say that there was nothing here for her. Her life was good; it had gotten way better over the last few months. She had Alexis and Davin and Booker now. It was weird how things had worked out – weird but wonderful. Alexis and Davin had gotten together and they’d taken in Booker, who was a great kid, and somehow, they’d included her in the little family they’d pulled together. They’d even rented her the apartment over the garage in their new house – the house on the waterfront with its own dock!

She logged in and made a face at the bunch of new messages and likes she had on her profile. People were creepy, no two ways about it. She didn’t have a photo of herself on there, she’d used a picture of a lotus, but that didn’t stop men – or a few women – from messaging her. Most often they asked if she would send them naked photos of herself. Some asked if she wanted to see them naked, and a few didn’t bother to ask and sent dick pics as their opening gambit.

She startled when April sat down beside her and set a fresh mug of coffee on the table. She was tempted to close her laptop but forced herself to leave it open. She had nothing to hide, nothing to be ashamed of; more and more people used dating sites these days. Lots of relationships started that way.

“Here you go,” April said with a smile. “Oh!” Her gaze fell on the screen, and she smiled. “Are you having any luck on there?”

Shayna let out a short laugh. “Nope, and I doubt I will. I should just delete my profile, but it’s like an addiction. I think I’ve given up looking, but then I get this urge to check again.”

“It’s not a harmful addiction, though, is it?”

She shrugged. “No, but it’s not a great use of my time, and I need to use my time wisely.”

“Aww, if anyone deserves a bit of downtime, you do. You work more than anyone I know. You should be able to look at guys online if you want to. Better yet, you should be able to meet a decent guy in real life.”

Shayna laughed. “Even if I did, I wouldn’t have the time to see him!”

April laughed with her. “True, but you could always chat with him on the computer.” She waggled her eyebrows. “Or at least enjoy looking. Who would you be looking for in an ideal world? What’s your type?”

Shayna watched Renée walk Hope and Chance to the door. Then she turned back to April with a shamefaced smile. “He is!”

She felt the heat in her cheeks when Chance called, “See ya later, April.”

“You will; we should be there by seven-thirty,” April shouted back.

Shayna hung her head. “Way to embarrass myself, huh?”

“No! You’re fine! I get it. He’s gorgeous! And you’re not saying you’re after him –”

“Oh god, no! I just meant the type. You asked me … in an ideal world.”

“You’re into cowboys?”

She laughed. “I can’t say that for sure. I like the look, and I like the idea, but – other than Chance – I don’t think I’ve ever met a real cowboy. I mean, it’s probably like anything in life; from the outside it’s easy to idealize all the best parts and create a fantasy, but in reality, you have to deal with a whole bunch of downsides.”

“That’s true. It makes me laugh when women go all gaga over cowboys – not trying to put you off, there are some who live up to the ideal – but like you said, there are a lot of downsides, too.”

Shayna blew out a sigh. “It’s not like I’m ever even going to meet one to have to worry about the downsides though, is it?”

“Exactly,” April said with a smile. “So, why don’t we find you some to look at?”

Shayna gave her a puzzled look, and she nodded at the laptop.

“Let’s do a search in Montana. I spent most of my life there – and I wouldn’t have made it here if it hadn’t been for Chance and his friends. I’m living proof that there are some amazing cowboys out there.” She pointed at the screen. “Mind if I do a search and we’ll see what we can find you?”

Shayna shrugged.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” April told her.

“If I’m honest, it’s a mixture of embarrassment and hope.”

April laughed. “Well, if this turns out as well for you as it did for Hope …”

Shayna laughed with her. “Then I would be one happy girl!”

April typed in a search, and Shayna had to smile at the list of profiles that came up – cowboy after cowboy!

“There you go, that should give you something to look at.”

Shayna scrolled through them, but none particularly caught her eye. Some of them looked okay, but what they’d written put her off – and vice versa.

“Anyone appeal?” April asked after a little while.

Shayna pointed at a profile halfway down the list. “I like the sound of this guy, he sounds … normal, and kind of fun, but who knows what he looks like? He hasn’t posted a photo of himself.”

April leaned in. “Let me see.”

Rather than a photo of himself, this guy had used a photo of a horse wearing a cowboy hat as his profile picture.

April grinned. “I think I know who this is!”

“How?”

April pointed at the hat. “See the brand mark on the hat?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s MacFarland Ranch. I know those guys. I went to school with them. And see his username?”

“Yeah, that put me off a bit. Why would he call himself Bro#5? If he’s one of those bro types, then he’s not my type.”

“No, if this is who I think it is, that’s not what it means. They’re a big family – there are six brothers and two sisters. I think it’s Tyler. He and his twin brother are the youngest, but Kolby got married last year. You should send him a message!”

Shayna shook her head rapidly. “What would I even say?”

“Say hello, tell him that you know me.”

“Then he’d think I was some weirdo creepy stalker to have figured out who he is!”

April made a face. “I guess, but … aww, he’s such a great guy. They all are. Oh my gosh, if you ended up with him, that’d be amazing!”

Shayna blew out a sigh. “Maybe, but that’s hardly likely to happen, is it? Especially since I don’t even know what he looks like.”

April waggled her eyebrows. “You can’t ever tell Eddie that I said this but … hooeee! Those MacFarland boys?” She fanned herself with her hand. “They are hot! Hot with a capital H!”

Shayna laughed. “Maybe, but if he hasn’t posted any photos …”

“That’s why you should message him – ask him to share some with you.”

“No! That’s what all the creepers do. I don’t want to be one of them!”

April blew out a sigh. “Okay. I give up for now, but only because my break’s almost over. I’m going to keep bugging you. I bet you and Ty would be perfect for each other!”

Shayna checked the time on her phone. “Thanks for looking with me, but I have to get going. Would you watch my stuff while I run to the bathroom again? I swear coffee goes straight through me.”

“Of course.”

When she arrived back at the table, April gave her a sly smile, and her heart started to pound.

“What’s that look for? What did you …? Oh my god! You didn’t?”

April nodded happily. “I did! But don’t worry, I told him it was me, and that I’m interfering. I even told him that he can call me if he wants to make sure this is legit.”

“What else did you tell him?”

“That he’d be crazy if he didn’t at least chat with you. That you haven’t shared a photo of yourself because you’re a hot blonde who doesn’t need all the hassle – not because you’re ashamed to.”

Shayna covered her face with her hands then peeked at April between her fingers. “What do I do now?”

April laughed. “Wait and see if he messages you – he might not. Or if you really don’t like the idea, you could message him and tell him to forget it – that I had no business interfering.” Her smile faded. “Shoot! I really didn’t, did I? I was excited and … I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right, you meant well. I know that.” She checked the time. “I really have to run.”

“You’re not mad at me?”

“No, I promise.” She smiled. “You’ve set me up with a little bit of intrigue to wonder about – Who is he? What’s he like? What does he look like? Will he message, or won’t he?”

“I have a feeling that he will – and you have to keep me posted!”

“Okay. I will.”