Table of Contents
Title Page
Cowboy Promise (Howelton Texas Series, #2)
Janalyn Knight
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
EPILOGUE
CHECK OUT THE FIRST BOOK IN THE HOWELTON TEXAS SERIES
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cowboy Promise
Howelton Texas Series: Book 2
Janalyn Knight
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, places, or events is coincidental and not intended by the author.
IF YOU PURCHASE THIS book without a cover you should be aware that this book may have been stolen property and reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher. In such case the author has not received any payment for this “stripped book.”
COWBOY PROMISE
Howelton Texas Series: Book 2
Copyright © 2020 Janalyn Knight
All rights reserved.
ISBN: (EBOOK): 978-1-949931-67-9
(print) 978-1-949931-68-6
Inkspell Publishing
207 Moonglow Circle #101
Murrells Inlet, SC 29576
EDITED BY AUDREY BOBEK
Cover art By Najla Qamber
THIS BOOK, OR PARTS thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission. The copying, scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions, and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Dedication
To my brother, Buck, for your love and support as I care for mom.
Chapter One
Now that was some nice cowboy bootie. Dallas Royle was usually too busy to notice the patrons of The Last Cowboy Standing dancehall unless they were lined up in front of her ordering drinks. The handsome cowboy walking by was a treat for her eyes as she leaned on the bar in an unusual lull.
Ignoring the pounding beat of the crazy-loud Red Dirt country music coming from the stage, her gaze followed him to the small table he shared with two other cowboys. He chose a chair pointing in her direction. His face matched his sexy backside—strong, square jaw, and high cheekbones. He was a handsome devil, that was for sure.
She rubbed the back of her neck and grabbed a wet towel, sweeping it across the slab of polished mesquite that made up the bar top. Her three-year-old daughter needed her mother focused on the right priorities, and a man was definitely not one of them. Piper had run a fever all day, coughing along with swiping at a runny nose.
Dallas poured a couple of antacids into her palm and popped them into her mouth. Now she carried the things with her everywhere she went. Pulling her phone out of her back pocket, she checked the time. Forty-five minutes until her break.
Dallas glanced at the dancefloor, its polished wood a perfect surface for the fast-paced boot scootin’ that went along with the rowdy songs the band usually played. A slow tune wafted through the air now, though. Cowboys held their girls close, swaying in a gentle two-step. Remembering what that felt like, she quickly shifted her gaze. Kneeling, she straightened some napkins and boxes under the bar. What was wrong with her tonight? Had she thrown her brain in the blender when she made that last frozen margarita? She had a plan for her life, and she was sticking to it.
The rare respite ended. Three people appeared at the bar at once. Straining to hear their orders over the new, much louder song, Dallas flitted from one to the other, efficiently handing out beers, mixing drinks, and making change. Other customers replaced them until she found herself face-to-face with the handsome cowboy.
He smiled and handed her a five-dollar bill, almost shouting, “Bud light, please, ma’am. Keep the change.”
Dallas pulled his longneck out of the ice, popped the top off, and returned to his place at the bar. As she returned his smile, she took in more details of his appearance. Amber eyes sparked with self-confidence. A sturdy, working-man’s hand received the bottle she offered. His strong arms and broad shoulders stretched the material of his shirt. No doubt he could manhandle a 300-pound calf to the ground.
Raising the beer in salute, he said, “Thank you, ma’am,” and turned away.
She had no time to watch him and his fine rear end walk away. Customers vied for her attention nonstop until a familiar face showed up. This cowboy had his arm slung over a young woman’s shoulder. Dallas frowned in surprise. Nearly every week, the man came up to her bar with someone new, but last time, he’d arrived with a girl wearing his engagement ring. How proud she was, even showing Dallas, saying the guy had just given her the sparkling solitaire. Now the jerk stood here with a different woman. Gut-sick, Dallas scowled at the asshole as the loud pounding music beat at her senses. She spun away, shoving her hair behind her ear. Let him wait for his beer. Moving down to the other end of the bar, she waited on the next customer. Men were such bastards. The words loyal and man should never go in the same sentence.
A few minutes later, still ready to chew nails, Dallas nodded to the waitress who came to cover the bar for her break. Grabbing her phone and car keys, Dallas strode out the saloon-style front doors into the parking lot. Like always, her car sat in the back, so she turned the corner into the deepening darkness on the side of the building. She hurried past the trucks parked on her right, focused on her car ahead at the end.
A step from her car door, she heard gravel crunching behind her. She grabbed for the handle as a tall, heavyset cowboy clutched her arm. Yanking back, she hoped to free herself, but he gripped her tightly.
“Hey there, pretty thing.”
His slurred, drunken voice sent chills through her. Far from the front lot where others might hear her yell, she had no hope for help.
“Let go of me!” She jerked hard on
