Billion Dollar Cowboy by Carolyn Brown

 

After Colton Nelson won the Texas Lottery, he stayed the same but the local women changed in a big way. The women in town went so far as to slip something in his drink to try and trap him and snag him. In spite of winning so much money and going from ranch hand to ranch owner, Colton remained the same nice, small-town guy he always was. Part of what keeps him centered is the support of his friends and family who work with him on his ranch. It’s those same friends & family who hatch a scheme to get him a girlfriend who is just as stable as he is to keep the gold diggers away. The woman they decide would be perfect for him is Laura Baker. Laura is working off a debt at the ranch. Her cousin Andy Joe took care of Laura’s sister’s gambling debts under a few conditions. Laura could not contact her sister while working at the ranch. Laura is a nice person but she has been an enabler for her sister. Laura has no initial designs on Colton. After watching her mother’s bad relationship experiences, she is in no rush to get into a relationship with a man herself. Andy and everybody else propose that she and Colton pretend to be a couple for a little to protect Colton from all the craziness from the local females. Though reluctant, they agree to go along with the charade, even when it becomes a fake engagement. I enjoyed this romance for many reasons. I enjoyed the supporting characters like Colton’s grandmother Maudie, and teenager Roxie. I liked how Laura filled a big sister role for Roxie. I liked that the story was at times funny, sweet, & sexy. The romance itself between Laura and Colton was interesting to watch develop. They were such a good fit together. I look forward to reading other books by this author.