Billion Dollar Cowboy

Brown (Just a Cowboy and His Baby) kicks off her Cowboys and Brides series with this sizzling contemporary. Laura Baker has spent her life bailing out her sister Janet, a gambling addict. When Janet runs up a $10,000 debt to loan sharks, distant cousin Andy lends Laura the money to pay it on the condition that she repays the debt by working alongside him on cowboy Colton Nelson’s ranch. After winning the lottery, Colton, Andy’s best friend, went from being a ranch hand to owner of a large spread almost overnight. The ranch residents cook up a plot, with Colton’s reluctant agreement: Laura will pose as Colton’s new girlfriend to discourage the hordes of gold-digging women who are pursuing him. But what no one (other than the reader) expects is that the faux romance will turn all too real. Brown navigates the pair’s rocky journey from friendship to red-hot sex while imbuing her lively story with lots of heart. Agent: Erin Niumata, Folio Literary Management. (June)