Jan Selbourne
When history whispers,
I pass it on.
When history whispers,
I pass it on.
Cowboy Desire is a collection of short romance stories. This is a chance to read and discover the work of a diverse group of 14 very talented authors.
The themes in this book are varied, as are the collection of characters. From soft and tender love to hot passionate, kinky sex, there is something for everyone in this anthology.
Australian cowboys, also called drovers, not only raise cattle and sheep but also drive them from ranch to market. In one place, the historic trail they use is called the Long Paddock. Even in times of drought, ranchers trust the drover to get their herds (or flocks) to market along the trail. Sometimes, more of interest can be found on the Long Paddock than four-legged animals. Sometimes, there's a wonderful surprise.
I just finished reading this. All I can say is...wonderful! Each story is so different, and I was surprised at how many had a paranormal element to them. I loved that. If you like romance and cowboys combined, then you'll like this book. 5 stars, Anne
I've read the eclectic mix of country stories and loved each of them, from space cowboys to the historical and contemporary country romances. The romance was powerful in each of the stories, written by award-winning and international authors. I love that I can go back and read the short stories any time again. Country romances can't get hotter than this. 5 stars, Estelle
This book full of short stories depicting strong men and women who take on the untamed frontier was compelling to read. While I was reading the stories all I could think of was classic western stories and how this could even make into a good mini series on Netflix. 5 stars, Sugdos
Different stories but same awesome vibe. Well written and engaging throughout! 5 stars, Yos
This collection of steamy short stories isn’t for the shy or timid. They each deliver with romance and seduction using different cowboy themes. 4 stars, Smbrpm
Awesome storyline, well written, good stories. 5 stars, Kim
This is a unique and diverse collection of cowboy romances. The stories are well written and very enjoyable. The collection has stories that are written by talent authors who have crafted amazing characters. I enjoyed the range provided. 5 stars, Book_Lover_97
Shelley put the key into the ignition and raised her eyebrows at the young woman beside her.
“Are you feeling okay Gina?”
A shy smile. “Yes, I am, and thank you again.”
“Happy to help, I couldn’t leave you there.” Shelley reversed out of the car bay and drove onto the highway. “It shouldn’t take us more than an hour, the road’s as flat as a tack all the way.” Her foot pressed the accelerator and in minutes the car was humming smoothly at 100 kph.
“It’s a big country and I’m lucky to have seen so much.”
Shelley glanced at her fair-haired passenger with soft English skin. “Holidays?”
“No, I’m here on a work visa which ends in December. My first trip away from England and I’ve had a wonderful time, well, up until today.”
“What the hell happened?”
“The two friends I was travelling with had a huge fight at that roadhouse. It was very embarrassing, so I went into the ladies’ room and when I came out, they weren’t there. I must have looked like a lost rabbit because a waitress pointed to the door. “Your friends went outside.” I raced out to see them arguing beside the car, really yelling at each other. Mary threw Mark’s luggage at him, nearly knocking him over. My luggage was thrown onto the ground and she drove off.”
“That’s a real fight,” Shelley said dryly. “You said you were stranded, what happened to him?”
“I ran over to get my backpack saying something stupid like ‘where has she gone, what will we do?’” Her voice caught in her throat. “Mark went over to the group of men standing beside their trucks, then told me he was hitching a lift with one of them. He was furious and humiliated and—”
“He was a complete arsehole to leave you there.” Shelley said flatly. “I am glad I walked in for that cup of coffee.”
She nearly didn’t stop for that cup of coffee, but it was another one hundred and twenty kilometres and she needed to stretch her legs. She hadn’t noticed the woman huddled in the corner of the restaurant until she carried her coffee and sandwich to a table close by. Young, hair pulled back in a ponytail, bulky backpack beside her, and crying. When she’d said, ‘Hey, what’s wrong?’ the girl had shaken her head, then blubbered her friends had driven off without her, there were no direct coach services to Victoria and she didn’t know what to do. For the first time, the rule of never picking up anyone was broken. “Look, I’m on my way to Deniliquin. Coaches go from there to Melbourne every day.”
Shelley glanced again at her companion. “Why were the three of you driving on this road to Victoria?”
Gina made a face. “Mark said we should see more of the outback. I looked at the map, it seemed a good idea, but I had no idea it would take hours to get this far.”
Shelley grinned. “Hay is flat and open and not much to see. However, this road has a history. It was called The Long Paddock and it’s still known by that name.”
“I’m not sure what you mean, where’s the paddock?”
Shelley laughed out loud. “This is it, over 600 kilometres. What we are driving on now follows a part of the open unfenced stock routes and tracks linking inland Queensland and New South Wales to Victoria and their greener pastures. Graziers up north and west would send their stock on this route to the Victorian markets. Even now, during droughts, and there are plenty of them, when there’s no feed on the land, farmers put their stock on the road, trusting the drovers to follow this old stock route They’d be away for months,” she rolled her eyes. “I sound like a boring old schoolteacher.”
Gina shook her head. “No, you don’t. How on earth did these people live for months away from home?”
Shelley shrugged. “Part of life in the outback. Years ago, depending on the size of the mob, maybe a thousand or more cattle or sheep, there’d be three, four or five stockmen, their horses and dogs and the camp cook. Those men were more at home on the back of a horse than on the ground. They’d take shifts to keep watch on the stock at night in case something spooked them. I’ve heard stories of them stampeding right over the drovers asleep in their swags.” She smiled at Gina’s wide eyes. “Not my idea of camping out.”
She cleared her throat. “Now, there are still sheep and cattle on the road and horses and dogs, but the drovers travel with a car and caravan and often a water tanker. Watching the dogs work is something else, they can outthink us. Still, it’s a damned hard life.”
“A very hard life,” Gina agreed. “Do you live in Deniliquin.?”
“No, I’m originally from Warwick on the Darling Downs in Queensland.”
“I worked at Warwick hospital for three months.”
Surprised, Shelley looked at her. “Really?”
“There was a shortage of physiotherapists in rural areas and I was willing to go anywhere and see the country.”
“Oh, okay,” Shelley touched the accelerator to 110 kph. “Nothing exciting about me, I moved west for a while, then travelled a bit. Now I’m on my way to spend a week with my close friend from schooldays. Four years since we’ve seen each other.”
Gina smiled at her. “A lot of catching up?”
Shelley chuckled. “Definitely. Emails and phone calls are great but a bottle of wine and talking until midnight is much better. Enough of me, where are you from?”
“I grew up in Kent, my dad now lives at Canterbury. I studied physiotherapy and worked in London for a year. A friend was applying for a work visa to Australia and talked me into joining her. At the last minute she backed out and I came here on my own.”
“Where did you meet the fighting losers?”
“In Queensland, I feel a real fool now.”
Shelley’s foot eased off the accelerator. “See that moving blur ahead of us, probably two or three k’s away?”
Gina peered through the windscreen. “Yes.”
“A mob of sheep,” Shelley smiled at Gina. “Do you want to take photos of action on the Long Paddock?”
The car slowed to 60 kph then 40 then 20 and stopped as a milling sea of sheep surrounded them.
Gina held her tablet up to video. “Do we sit here until they move away?”
Shelley pointed to two men on horses at the back of the mob. “It’ll take a while, but they’ll move. You can watch the dogs at work while I check my phone for any messages.”
One from a friend saying hi, one from Bob, she’d read that later, one from Liz, ‘where are you?’ She replied. ‘stock on road, will text when on my way.’
Shelley looked up to see one of the stockmen approaching. When he dismounted, she wound down the window and her heart missed a beat.
“Christ, What’s that famous line from the old movie? Of all the gin joints, in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”
Gina frowned at her. “What did you say?”
Shelley closed her eyes. “Never mind.”
The stockman leaned down to the window. “You’re the last person I expected to see.”
