Summer with My Cowboy

by Linda Lael Miller, Maisey Yates

Genres: Romance Anthologies & Collections

Synopsis

Tough and tender, once a cowboy wins your heart, no one else will do—as two special women discover over the course of one sweet and sultry summer in this duo of romantic novellas from bestselling authors Linda Lael Miller and Maisey Yates...

COWBOY WANTED by Linda Lael Miller
A painful divorce has brought Kendra Spencer home from Seattle to sunny Copper Ridge, Arizona. Despite a comfortable settlement, Kendra needs to keep busy—and keep herself from stalking her ex on social media. So she starts waitressing at the local diner, finding comfort in the regulars and her thankfully ordinary days. . . . Until far from ordinary newcomer Gage Elder walks in. Not only is he a champion bronc rider, turns out he’s a widower—and maybe the one man understanding enough, kind enough—not to mention charming enough—to inspire Kendra to put the past behind her, and open her heart once
more . . .

ONE MORE SUMMER WITH YOU by Maisey Yates
Between a fiancé with cold feet and a blocked promotion at the law firm where she works, it’s as good a time as any for Jane Cahill to help out at the Oregon camp where she spent her summers as a troubled teen. But the place brings up a mix of memories, mostly about Spencer Quinn, who has also returned to volunteer. Now a ranch owner, Spencer was Jane’s romance of three summers—plus one unforgettable night. In fact, neither has ever forgotten the other. And though fears about the future led Jane to break away, that future has arrived—and maybe this summer will be the one to last a lifetime . . .

Release date: April 28, 2026

Publisher: Kensington Books

Print pages: 224

Sample

The Hot N Tot Diner

Copper Ridge, Arizona

Another day, another dollar, Kendra reflected with a sigh and a smile as she tied her apron strings and surveyed the overcrowded café where she would spend the next several hours serving meals to both locals and tourists.

Compared to her previous salary, her wages as a waitress were minimal—but, then, she wasn’t there for the money anyway. For her, working in the diner was a way of getting out of her own head, laughing and talking with living human beings instead of staring bleakly at images on a phone or computer screen.

It was, in short, a way of staying sane.

When she’d first returned to her hometown, a year and a half before, she’d been an emotional wreck, to say the least. Her divorce from Ethan Larkin had pulled the proverbial rug out from under her feet, not because there was anything left of the love she’d felt for him before, but because he’d upended her entire life.

And she’d been especially vulnerable when her marriage fell apart, because she’d so recently lost the child she’d yearned for, prayed for, and cherished practically from conception.

Now that some time had passed, and she no longer had to contend with Desuma and Elyse, or with Ethan himself, she was stronger.

Happier.

She did miss Walter though.

Maybe, she reflected, not for the first time, she should get a dog of her own.

She might, after she’d adjusted to the seismic shift in her circumstances.

For one thing, she was still getting used to living in a small town again instead of a major city. Although Copper Ridge was basically the same modest, close-knit community she’d known growing up, no place stayed the same forever.

There were lots of new people in Copper Ridge now, while many of her childhood friends had grown up and left. She was still adapting to that, too.

When she’d first arrived, she’d hidden out in her late grandmother’s guest house, a pleasant little cottage behind the massive—and empty—family home, but she soon realized she needed to get out and breathe fresh air more often, to interact with others instead of surfing the internet for hours on end, stalking Ethan, Desuma and Elyse on social media, and scrolling through dozens of photos on her phone.

Every one of those captured moments stung her deeply—especially those of Walter, Ethan’s dog, frolicking in the surf in front of the Larkins’ beach-front home on Mercer Island.

Kendra drew a deep breath and centered herself in the present moment.

It was time to focus on the tasks at hand.

She had work to do.

Armed with a smile and a pot of freshly brewed coffee, she began making the rounds, refilling cups at multiple tables and exchanging pleasantries as she went.

After that, she greeted and seated new arrivals, taking their orders, rushing full and empty plates to and from the kitchen.

It was a blessedly ordinary day.

Until the front door swung open and Gage Elder walked in, that is.

There was nothing ordinary about him.

He’d just moved to Copper Ridge—probably from Hollywood—a month before, and, with his vivid blue-green eyes, longish sandy hair and lean, muscular build, he was a sight to behold.

Everyone in town knew he was a champion bronc-rider, having claimed fancy silver buckle after fancy silver buckle at the National Finals Rodeo—the NFR—in Las Vegas, year upon year. On top of that, he worked as a stuntman and had appeared in countless movies and TV shows, acting as a stand-in for a number of legendary actors.

It was impossible not to be affected by that lopsided smile of his, never mind the rest of him.

Now, his azure gaze locked with Kendra’s as he held the door for a woman around his age and a teenage girl, and he gave a slight—almost imperceptible—nod of greeting.

After recovering her equilibrium, Kendra greeted the new arrivals pleasantly and led them to a table beside a window.

Politeness personified, Gage Elder drew back a chair for the woman, then for the girl, before seating himself.

According to the rumor mill, which was well-oiled in Copper Ridge, the new guy in town was single, a widower, to be exact.

But Kendra, who had decided not to allow herself to be attracted to him under any circumstances whatsoever, hadn’t missed the fact that the woman who accompanied him was drop-dead gorgeous—and very comfortable in his presence.

The young girl, for her part, resembled him so closely that she might well have been his daughter.

All of which underscored Kendra’s belief that, as attractive as the cowboy/stuntman was, she didn’t dare allow herself to be interested in him at all.

Even though he’d subtly flirted with her on two previous occasions—first, when they’d encountered each other in the aisle of the local bookstore and he’d smiled, introduced himself and struck up a casual conversation, and second, when he’d come into the diner for breakfast a week before and straight-out asked her if she’d like to join him for dinner and a movie sometime soon.

She’d politely refused, offering an excuse she couldn’t recall now, even as she took their initial order for beverages and silently prayed that the heat she felt surging along the length of her neck to pound in her cheeks didn’t actually show.

When he’d asked her out, every primal instinct she possessed had screamed, Yes, yes, yes.

But her common sense had said otherwise.

She’d been attracted to Ethan Larkin in the same incomprehensibly crazy, fundamental way, and look how that had turned out.

In the end, she’d lost everything, including her confidence in her own judgment.

Kendra simply could not trust herself to choose a man who wouldn’t eventually destroy her.

It was crazy, she knew that.

But knowing changed nothing.

Kendra Spencer meant to stay safely single for the rest of her life.

The cowboy’s eyes had a glint of gentle understanding—and amusement—as he looked up from the menu. “What’s the special today?” he asked.

He’d noticed that she was blushing, for sure.

Kendra swallowed hard, once, twice, a third time, and then managed, somehow, to answer. “Country fried chicken, mashed potatoes and creamed corn,” she blurted out.

But she was thinking, Forget food. You, Mr. Elder, are special. All too special.

Forgetting his plan to be subtle, Gage watched openly as Kendra hurried away, toward the counter and the kitchen beyond.

She was a mystery to him, not because she’d sidestepped his attempts to get acquainted with her—plenty of women had done that over the years—but because there was so much going on behind that may-I-help-you? smile.

Confidence, counterbalanced by fear.

Innate happiness, coupled with a fathomless sort of sorrow.

He wanted to ask Kendra Spencer a thousand-and-one questions but, even more than that, he wanted to hold her. And it wasn’t about sex. At least, not yet.

He huffed out a sigh and turned back to his tablemates.

As soon as Gage’s thirteen-year-old niece Brittany excused herself and left the table to visit the restroom, his sister Sophie leaned forward and whispered, with a benevolent smirk, “So that’s the woman you mentioned before? The one who won’t give you the time of day?”

Gage set his jaw, relaxed it again. Sophie was three years older than he was, and even though they were both adults, she still liked to play the big sister.

Momentarily, he regretted confiding that he was attracted to Kendra, the skittish waitress with the beautiful blue eyes and light auburn hair.

“It shouldn’t surprise you to learn,” he replied, resting his forearms on the tabletop and leaning in a little to show he wasn’t intimidated, “that I’m not the kind of guy who evaluates people through the lens of my male ego.”

Sophie, a lovely brunette who’d recently married a nice guy named Hunter Pembroke after years as a divorcée, was happier than Gage had ever seen her, and Brittany, her daughter, seemed to be adjusting well, too.

All of which made him happy, though it brought a pang of sadness because any reference to marriage brought his late wife, Summer, to mind. She’d died in a car crash six years before, and taken a chunk of Gage’s soul with her when she left.

They hadn’t had a chance to start a family of their own.

They hadn’t even had a chance to say good-bye.

In fact, their last conversation had been an argument. A stupid one that Gage couldn’t even remember now.

After all that time, the guilt still stung.

Nowadays, Sophie and Brittany were all that was left of his family, since the folks had both passed over during the pandemic, not of Covid, but of congestive heart failure—Dad first, then a few months later, Mom.

“Hey,” Sophie said, studying his face, “I wasn’t accusing you of being an egomaniac, Bro.”

“I know,” Gage replied, sighing the words as much as saying them.

Kendra returned just then, with their drinks.

Gage kept his eyes on the scratched Formica tabletop.

For some crazy reason, his heartbeat had picked up speed, pounding hard at the base of his throat.

“Thank you,” Sophie told Kendra, in cheerful tones.

“The food will be out soon,” Kendra responded, politely but coolly.

Brittany returned to the table, waited at a little distance while Kendra hurried away again.

Gage sighed. Did Kendra think he was fixing to grab her or something?

“Talk to Kendra,” Sophie urged quietly. “Find a way.”

Brittany clearly hadn’t overheard, or she would have added her two cents to the conversation. The girl had freshened her lip gloss and brushed her shoulder-length blonde hair to a high shine, and her eyes were alight with joy.

She loved visiting her “favorite”—and only—uncle, and now that she and her mom were about to head back to Phoenix, she was brimming with things she wanted to get said before they left.

“This is a great town!” she proclaimed, looking around the crowded café before settling into her vinyl-covered chair again and reaching for her tall glass of lemonade. “But I don’t get why you decided to live in a double-wide, Uncle G. You could build a real house, after all. A big one, like you had when you and—and—when you lived in Santa Fe, I mean—”

Color rose to Brittany’s cheeks and pulsed there.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Sophie reached over to squeeze her daughter’s hand in reassurance, but it was Gage who spoke.

“It’s okay to mention Summer’s name, Brittany,” he said, his voice a little hoarse. “She’s been gone for a while now.”

“You’re not over her, though, right?” Like her mother, Brittany had been waiting for Gage to meet someone new, start a family, and live happily ever after.

Her cornflower-blue eyes were still shining with tears.

“I’ll never get over Summer,” Gage responded.

An awkward silence fell.

Kendra returned with their food a few moments later, asked the usual routine questions—did anyone want a refill on their beverages? Extra ketchup or mustard?

When everyone shook their head no, she fled again.

“You like her,” Brittany told her uncle in a conspiratorial whisper.

Gage used the hand sanitizer Sophie had produced from her handbag and sighed. Set the little plastic bottle back on the tabletop with a slight thump. “Never mind who I like or don’t like,” he told his niece, picking up his bacon-cheeseburger in one hand. “And what’s wrong with living in a double-wide? It’s pretty nice inside, isn’t it?”

Brittany had managed to blink back her tears by then, but she was clearly still anxious to mend any fences that might have been broken by her previous remark.

“It’s really nice,” she replied eagerly. “The kitchen is a-maz-ing!” She paused, frowned slightly. “But what if you decide to get married again? Maybe even have some kids? There won’t be very much elbow room in that place when it’s not just you and Stanley.”

Stanley was Gage’s dog, a combination Irish setter and Labrador retriever.

As usual, Gage felt a momentary stab of regret for leaving his furry pal home alone.

“Look,” he said quietly, “I understand that you mean well, both of you. But this matchmaking thing is starting to get under my hide.”

Sophie slanted a glance in Kendra’s direction and cleared her throat, but she said nothing.

Brittany, never at a loss for words it seemed, replied with a frustrated sigh, a slight shake of her head and, “You’re not getting any younger, you know.”

That made Gage laugh, which was a major relief. “I’ll be thirty-five in October,” he pointed out, “but I guess from the viewpoint of a thirteen-year-old, I’m approaching codgerhood.”

“I’m almost fourteen,” Brittany pointed out. “I’m going to be in high school this year. Next thing you know, I’ll be totally grown-up!”

After that, things lightened up.

Eyes glowing, Sophie talked about her business-partner-turned-husband, Hunter, and the start-up marketing firm they were building together. There were plenty of challenges, she admitted, but the bottom line was in good shape.

When the meal ended, Gage paid the bill, over Sophie’s protests, silently marveling at the fact that Kendra’s presence just west of his right elbow made his nerves vibrate.

At some point, he was going to have to man up and try again, but given her resistance, it seemed wiser to give things some time to develop—or not.

Stealing one last glance at Kendra before he followed his sister and niece out of the diner, Gage opened Sophie’s car door and waited for her to take a seat behind the wheel.

“When are you coming to visit us?” his sister asked, putting on her seat belt.

Across from her, in the passenger seat, Brittany did the same. She was leaning forward a little, in order to see around her mother.

Remarkably, she didn’t chime in.

“When I can,” Gage answered, noncommittal. Between monitoring his investments and looking after a horse and a dog, he had his hands full, at least for the time being.

“You’ll talk to—what was her name?” Sophie asked.

As if she. . .