Book Title: ROCK-A-BYE COWBOY (Rocky Road Ranch, Book 3)
Character Name: Danielle “Dani” Hubbard
I’m sitting in the “Fillies” bunkhouse of the Rocky Road Ranch newly opened Dude Ranch operations. The Dunns have invited guest to stay for two weeks free in return for their opinions on the new venture. It’s been about a week now and I sit down with Danielle “Dani” Hubbard on the of the single female guests. She’s wearing a pair of blue jeans, cowboy boots, a rose v-neck light sweater, and her very wavy dark hair is pulled back in a ponytail. Her hazel eyes appear gray in the log structure as she sits on a love seat across from me, next to the propane fed wood stove.
“How would you describe your family or your childhood?”
“Oh, I thought we were just talking about the Rocky Roady Dude Ranch experience. I guess you need a bit of background though. I had a great childhood until I turned 10. My dad dies in an oil rig accident and left me, my two sisters, and mom to manage on our own. The finances weren’t so much the issue as the settlement was generous, but living without Dad was just hard.”
I notice she plays with a bracelet of freshwater pearls. “What was your greatest talent?”
She chuckles. “I wouldn’t call it a talent, so much as training I can’t turn off, even on vacation here at the Rocky Road. I’m a safety officer for Mayes Mineral Drilling. I see accidents waiting to happen everywhere, in the grocery store, at the gas station, on a hiking trail, even here on vacation. It’s a curse.” She shrugs. “Ever since my dad died in that very preventable accident, I just became sort of obsessed with safety.”
“That makes a lot of sense. Do you have a significant other?”
“Hah. That would be an emphatic no. I broke up with my final boyfriend about a week before coming here his family business came before me. He was number ten. I gave myself four years or 10 men to find Mr. Right. It’s almost four years and I’ve gave it 10 tries. I’m done. I had planned to watch movies, sleep, and eat ice cream for two weeks to complete my failure, but Kaitlyn, she’s the only other woman at the company, wo this vacation and dragged me out here.
“This ranch sounds a bit more fun than your other plans. What do you think has been your biggest challenge in relationships?”
“Obviously, finding the right man. I created a Mr. Right Characteristics List, which I’ve burned, by the way, and no man fit it. So I’ve given up.”
“Can you share the list with me or have you forgotten it?”
“Oh, I remember it. I’ve lived with it for four years.
I prefer a tall average looking man of slim build, not too muscular (no gym rats).
He must have no emotional baggage.
He can’t have any children or an ex-wife.
He preferably holds a desk job with good earning potential.
He is willing to talk.
He has a sense of humor.
He doesn’t have a family who interferes in his life.
He can’t be in the military or a first responder. I don’t need a hero.
He has to be open to forever.
He should be willing to admit when he’s wrong, even if grudgingly admitted.
There must be chemistry between us. I want passion in my life.
“That’s quite a list. It’s good to know what you’re looking for. I mean what you were looking for. Where do you live?
“I live in Show Low. That’s about 3 hours northeast of here. So this really is vacationland in a way.”
“How do you feel about the place where you are now? Is there something you are particularly attached to, or particularly repelled by, in this place?”
“Funny you should ask. As I said, I didn’t want to come here. However, I found something, or rather someone very interesting. One of the Dunn brothers is a mystery, so I’m having fun solving it.”
“What’s mysterious about him?”
First of all, he’s a grump and doesn’t say much. But the rest of his family are cheerful and happy to help the guests here. So I’ve been figuring out why he’s so different.”
“Is he a candidate for Mr. Right.”
She laughs as she shakes her head. “Hardly. Maybe he’s a candidate for Mr. Wrong. He’s a military veteran with PTSD and a baby. And that’s just the beginning. He hasn’t met a single one of my list’s criteria, not that the list exists anymore, except in my head.”
“Ah, I understand. So what’s your greatest disappointment?’
“Besides the loss of my father, I’d say having to give up on Mr. Right. I really saw myself as a mom with children one day, you know? But it’s probably better this way. Can you imagine having a mom who’s a safety officer?” She laughs.
What is your greatest personal failing, in your view? “I can’t shut off the safety officer side of me. Every day here, they ask for feedback on our stay. I fill the card with suggestions on how to make things safer. I’m supposed to be on vacation!”
“What keeps you awake at night?”
“It used to be finding my person. Now, it’s trying to figure out what I want instead. I have a nice home, a great job, and I’m financially sound. Now I have to decide what I want out of the rest of my life if I’m not going to start a family. That’s one way this vacation has helped in that I can think about that. Though I have to say, with some of the physical work I’ve been doing around here, I’ve been sleeping pretty soundly.”
“Would you be open to another relationship if you met someone who met your Mr. Right criteria?”
“That’s a good question. I don’t know, to be honest. It’s hard putting so much time into a relationship just to find out that it’s not going to work. Sometimes I think people who are confirmed bachelors like Layne, one of the ranch hands here, have it all figured out, but then there’s that little niggling doubt that makes me question missing out. All I know, is right now, I’m not open. This door is closed. That’s what’s fun about figuring out Jackson Dunn. He’s Mr. Wrong, so I’m having fun learning about him knowing he’s completely off the table.”
“It sounds like you’re having fun here after all. Any advice for someone coming to the Rocky Road Dude Ranch?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. If you’re single and looking for someone, this could be a great place to come. My friend Kaitlyn has three potentials she’s getting to know. She’s even suggesting Singles Only weeks to the owners. And if you have a family, the kids are going to love it. There really is something for everyone, even for me.”
“Thank you, Dani for chatting with me. I hope you have a great afternoon.”
She picks up a book on the side table. “Oh, I plan to. I’m going to read until it’s time for Jackson to feed Shotgun.”
I’d risen, ready to leave, when I stop. “He feeds a Shotgun? You mean loads a weapon?”
“Oh, no.” She waves aside my comment. “Shotgun is his pet raccoon. Like I said, I’m having so much fun discovering all there is to Jackson Dunn.”
ROCK-A-BYE COWBOY by Lexi Post
He’s done with everything changing on him. But what if she was the change he needed?
Jackson Dunn is not happy to be honorably discharged from the Army, handed a daughter he didn’t know he had, and sent home to Rocky Road Ranch where everything has changed while he was deployed. Then again, so has he, and he has no patience for a guest who won’t stay with the others. But when she catches him in a flashback to the war, he realizes she’s easier to talk to than his own family. The question is: can he talk to her because he knows she’s leaving or for another reason?
Just her luck, she discovers too late that Mr. Wrong could well be Mr. Right.
The last place Danielle “Dani” Hubbard wants to be on her vacation is a dude ranch owned by the Dunn brothers, but when she recognizes one of the Dunn brothers is as unhappy as she is, she decides to make her vacation more interesting by bothering him. He’s a complete Mr. Wrong, according to her now defunct Mr. Right Character List, so she has no worries about getting too close. But as she leaves for home, she has to wonder, is Mr. Wrong actually Mr. Right?
Romance Western | Romance Small Town [Oliver-Heber Books, On Sale: March 18, 2025, e-Book , / ]
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About Lexi Post
Lexi Post is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of sensuous romance inspired by the classics. She spent years in higher education taking and teaching courses about the literature she loved while reading her favorite romance authors. It wasn’t long before she decided to marry her two first loves. From hot paranormals to sizzling cowboys to hunks from out of this world, Lexi provides a steamy read with a “whole lotta story.” Lexi is living her own happily ever after with her husband and her cat in Florida. She makes ice cream every weekend, loves bright colors, and you will never see her without a hat.
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