Author Spotlight: Kaz Delaney’s Here with Cowboys and a Giveaway!

We have 2 winners! Cindy McCarter, you are Kaz’s winner of an ebook copy of The Cowboy’s Baby Surprise and DeeAnn Kraft, you are Kaz’s winner of a $10 Amazon gift card. Congrats to you two and thanks to everyone who stopped by! We love our readers!

What a treat to welcome Kaz Delaney back to the Author Spotlight! She’s not only a fellow Tule author, but also a good friend and has proven to me time again that friendships grow strong even when you haven’t actually met in person. Spanning a 30 year career resulting in 84 books, which includes a Tule Publishing cozy mystery series The Hart of Texas Murder Mysteries, Kaz Delaney has been honored to receive several prestigious awards along the way. She is currently, and happily, working on her Marietta romance series The Halligans of Montana for Tule Publishing.

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Take it away, Kaz!

Hello again!

It feels like a while since I’ve been here, though it’s always lovely to hang out with Nan’s friends. And why wouldn’t it be? Isn’t she the loveliest? I so often wish there wasn’t such a vast ocean separating us. And that I had more time… But of course, that’s life –  however we can still remain connected through that other huge part of both our lives  –  the books we create.

As I release my 81st book, I’m currently writing my 84th book. That could almost sound impressive if I didn’t add that this year is indeed the 30-year anniversary of me being a published author. Yes, in March, 1994, I signed my first contract and continued to sign another 83 over the following years. I’ve also written across several genres – beginning with traditional adult romance, then morphing into YA (teen), kids stories – lots of humor and mystery, cozy mysteries and in completing the circle, back to adult romance.

It’s where I began, and along with mystery, it’s where I belong. Though in truth that beginning was probably at my grandmother’s knee, when as a primary (grade) school aged kid, I read her little romance comics, a pre-runner to sharing her ‘little books’ – her Mills and Boon romances, much to my high-brow mother’s chagrin. Ha!

So, here I am, proudly and hopefully presenting the first of my Halligans of Montana series, The Cowboy’s Baby Surprise, published by Tule Publishing Inc. The blurb is the most efficient way of describing the story, so forgive my little gush as I offer this first:

What if he really is ‘The One’?

When up-and-coming lawyer Evie Davis travels halfway across the country to deliver her old friend’s baby girl to the oblivious father, the last thing she expects is an encounter with a rugged Montana cowboy. One who convincingly insists he’s not the father. The second last thing she expects is to have her heart flutter in gratitude at that proclamation. A loner by nature and nurture, Evie isn’t looking for a relationship or even a fling, but as she waits for word on the potential father’s whereabouts, she’s tempted.

As oldest of the Halligan brood, JD Halligan has his hands full running the sprawling family ranch. So, when a beautiful Californian lawyer turns up on his doorstep with a baby she claims is his, it flips his world. He’s definitely not this baby’s father, but can’t ignore the cuteness overload, especially baby Mia’s carer, Evie Davis. Trouble is, he fell for a career-minded city girl once before and that ended in disaster, so he’s not prepared to go there again. But as he opens his home to the new arrivals, sweet baby Mia isn’t the only one winning her way into his heart.

I adored creating this book, and am thrilled to bits by how it is, so far, being received. If you have already read or reviewed this story, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

If you haven’t, I can promise you some smiles, some laughs, tingly moments and yes, a few tears. And of course, the most gorgeous baby girl to coax a few gooey sighs. I call baby Mia my tiny accidental cupid.  And her magic arrow worked, though not immediately. I do love the scene where they meet, and I’m excited to share this meet-cute with you all today.

In the scene I’ve shared, JD is finishing up early after a few huge days trying to catch up with ranch work after some drama. He’s gifted his boys an early mark and he’s exhausted.

Check out the excerpt below and I so hope you enjoy!

Thank you again! Have a wonderful day,

Hugs,

Kaz xx

Giveaway for 2 Lucky Commenters!

Thank you so much once more for spending your precious time with me. As I said, I began reading romance and mystery as a kid and they remain my favorite genres. I wonder what your fave genre might be?

To show my appreciation for your time, I’m offering a $10 Amazon gift card to one randomly chosen person who responds, and to another I’ll send off an e-copy of The Cowboy’s baby Surprise. We’ll draw a winner on Friday morning.

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Excerpt

They all needed sleep, and once he’d washed off all this sweat and dirt, and got something in his belly, that’s where he was headed. To bed.

Weariness slowed his long-legged stride and for a moment he thought it was also responsible for the swirl of dust billowing along the lengthy tree-lined drive to the house. A mirage? It took a moment for him to realize it was a truck traveling fast. A big delivery truck—not a farm vehicle—and curiosity propelled his final steps to the house, arriving at the base of the front stairs leading to the porch at the same time as the truck pulled to a stop.

The driver jumped down. Young, animated. “Sorry man! I couldn’t find the place. Never been to this part of Montana before. But don’t worry, all your gear is here now, all safe and accounted for. Not too late, right?” For the first time since he’d begun to speak there was doubt in his voice.

“Kinda depends on what you’ve got there. Are you certain this is the right place? I’m pretty sure we weren’t expecting a delivery.”

The guy glanced at his clipboard. “JD Halligan? Lazy H Ranch?”

JD nodded.

There was amusement in the guy’s dark eyes as he rounded to the back of the truck and rolled up the metal door. “You didn’t know you were getting this? Ha! Must be a surprise. Helluva way to find out, though.” His laughter continued as he boosted himself up on the tailgate lift and climbed into the back. “Wait till I tell the guys this one!”

More intrigued than surprised, JD followed the guy’s lead and wandered to the back door, just in time to be handed a large carton bearing an image of something that looked like… Nah, couldn’t be. “A baby’s high chair?”

Laughing guy was still smirking.

JD’s head whirled as a whole array of baby paraphernalia got emptied out of the truck to land at his feet; his wild thoughts frantically trying to find sense. Was this Joanna’s? Was his sister pregnant? After a bad breakup Joey was off licking her wounds. Was she in trouble? And had not called him?

Another idea struck, not as worrying, but just as unpalatable. Was this some ridiculous practical joke? His brother, Jack, had been ribbing him about finding someone and settling down. All because some of the anxious mothers in Marietta were beginning to circle, earmarking him as good son-in-law material.

The more he thought about it, the more sense this latter explanation made. This had Jack written all over it. Maybe even Leo as well. Just because he hadn’t heard from his youngest brother for way too long didn’t mean Jack hadn’t been in touch with him.

Another carton, this one the approximate size of New Jersey, landed in his arms. Diapers. Diapers?

A wide flat box was next. Laughing guy slid it toward him. “The crib, hopefully with instructions. And hey! Congratulations!”

JD worked his jaw muscle, feeling the tension as his whole lower face tightened. “For the record, I am not about to become a father.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”

JD’s head spun to the left. What, this guy was a ventriloquist? But that voice—soft, most definitely feminine, controlled, every word clearly enunciated. His search to find the source continued, turning him a complete one-eighty until he came face-to-face with its owner. And stalled there.

“Pardon me?” He hadn’t even heard a vehicle.

The sight was almost too much for his weary brain to contend with. Was this part of the joke? If his brothers had chosen someone they thought he would probably—definitely—get turned on by, they’d done well. If they thought he might think of her as marriage material, they’d got it so wrong.

His past experience flashed through his head on a wave of bitterness. Not for the woman before him, but for what she had fleetingly represented. Like the other woman, the one here in front of him would last about three minutes on a ranch like this.

She was eyeing him carefully, studying him with eyes so blue he could clearly identify the shade even from this six- or seven-feet distance. She, whose perfume closed that distance, something soft and sultry, reaching out to wind itself around him.

She, with the golden hair and golden skin, standing before him in slim pale pink pants, and matching blazer that kind of outlined her figure. And those heels… The jacket was fastened with only one button down low and there was some kind of lacy thing underneath.

Wavy tendrils of hair had slipped from their top knot, and even almost more remarkable than the sleeping baby she held in her arms was the weariness etched into that gorgeous face.

Her eyes never wavered and he wondered what was turning over in her mind. Until she spoke. “JD Halligan?”

What was this? National identification day? He nodded. It was a measured, reluctant nod, as though identifying himself was going to end up being a very bad decision.

He watched her swallow deeply. “There’s um, no way to say this other than simply blurt it out. I’ve ah, come to deliver your daughter.”

The frown on his face carried through his tone. “What? Say again? Deliver my daughter? Like a stork or something?” This had gone too far.

“Pardon?” Her obvious confusion prompted an echo of his own frown of moments before. “A stork? What are you? Three years old?”

“Which is about the appropriate age for this joke.” He raised both hands. “This has gone far enough. I’m done, okay?”

“Ohhh, this is good…”

The woman and JD both turned to laughing guy who was now sitting on the edge of the truck’s tailgate, legs swinging, grinning from ear to ear. JD was the first to respond, but only by a second and there was a weird, momentary, sense of connection when they’d both told the guy to butt out. A connection that died the moment JD looked back at her. She was showing no signs of moving.

His gaze narrowed, his sigh long and weary. “Look, I don’t know where you came from, but honestly, lady, you look beat and I know I’m beat. So, you can go collect from my brother, or both, tell them the joke backfired—or was a raging success—whatever works best for you, and we can both go get some rest.” Turning to laughing guy, he said, “And you can do the same. Pack up this gear and move on. Show time is over.”

Laughing guy responded first. “No can do, man. From here I gotta head up north and pick up another load to take back to Bozeman.” With a grin and raised eyebrows, he nodded across to the baby. “Looks just like her daddy, I reckon.”

Frustration roared through him with the force of a freight train but golden lady’s words arrived first. “Mr. Halligan, I assure you this is no prank.” Her foot was tapping against the paving stones, the one’s he’d laid with his father. It somehow, ridiculously made the joke more inappropriate. “So, I’m sorry, but I can’t leave right now. Trust me, though, I’m counting the minutes.”

Patience was something he usually had in truckloads. Right now, he’d barely fill a kids’ sand pail. “What, you gotta pick up a load up north as well? Twins?”

Laughing Guy laughed. Again. “Hey! That’s good!”

This was getting old. “This is not my baby! And I’d appreciate it if you both left my property.”

Golden lady shrugged. “I’ve got a piece of paper here that says otherwise.”

“I doubt that very much.” He blew out a long, tired sigh. “Okay, so maybe this isn’t a joke. Maybe it’s a scam. Is that what’s going on here? Because I can tell you that unless you had a very long gestation—like two years—that baby is not mine.”

Laughing Guy clucked his tongue. “Two years? Man, that’s rough. You know, maybe I could fix you up…”

Enough was enough! All he wanted was a shower, a cold beer, a steak, and bed. And nothing else. Except maybe to reclaim his dignity. Turning on laughing guy, he roared, “Get outta here! Now!”

And of course, he woke the baby.

Of course he did.