CHANCE'S RETURN - #NewRelease from Lucy Naylor Kubash

Today's guest is Lucy Naylor Kubash. CHANCE'S RETURN is Lucy's #NewRelease from The Wild Rose Press and released April 16, 2025. Lucy offers us a look at this contemporary western romance. Welcome, Lucy!

Blurb:

Widowed single mom Casey Girard hopes time in Wyoming will help her recover from a tragic loss. Working as a cook at the North Star ranch for the summer offers an opportunity to start life over near the beautiful Grand Teton Mountains.

 Ex-rodeo champ and prodigal son of the North Star, Chance McCord returns to face a family still divided by their own painful past. To overcome the estrangement, he needs to find a way to face his own haunting memories.

 When Chance and Casey meet, the attraction is undeniable and blooms like the blue lupine in the valley. But can they learn to put their pasts to rest and trust one another so love can grow?

What can I say? I have always loved cowboys. From the time I was a little girl and watched westerns on TV to when I started reading cowboy romances, I’ve bought into the myth of finding that handsome guy in a Stetson and meeting up with him under a western sky full of stars. In my romance, Chance’s Return, Casey does just that. She can’t help feeling attracted to Chance McCord, a rugged man not at all like her late husband. On an evening walk to the corrals on the ranch, they meet and share a first kiss.

Excerpt:

 “So, we’re back to that again.” Chance lifted one hand and ran the tip of his finger down her cheek. “I think, lady, you are relentless.”

Casey let down her guard a little, and his touch sent a ripple of awareness across her shoulders. “Just determined.” She was determined right now he wouldn’t know how his touch affected her, and how her heart suddenly beat like sixteen jackhammers.

“But a very pretty determined.” He brushed his hand, rough and raspy from ranch work, against her hair, then lifted the strands and let them slip over his worn fingers.

The touch was so gentle, Casey’s breath caught in her throat.

“The color…kind of reminds me of a cougar I once saw. She looked soft and tawny, but she had a fighting streak. Do you, Casey? Would you fight me if I kissed you?”

The unexpected question obliterated every sensible thought from her head. Her eyes fluttered upwards to see if he really meant it.

He really did. With one hand, he took off his hat and with the other slowly slid his fingers around the back of her head and drew her close.

 Through lowered lashes, Casey watched his dark head lower, and then the fleeting brush of his lips against her own sent a rush of warmth surging in her veins. His lips were firm and warm, a sweet first taste. But the kiss quickly became something more, something that tasted of fire…and danger…and…

For balance, Casey pressed her hand to Chance’s broad chest. Beneath her fingers, his heart tripped in double-time. That she could stir him this much, a guy who’d no doubt kissed more than his share of girls along the way, startled her. For an infinite moment, any semblance of clear thinking flew away on the cool Wyoming breeze, and an incredible sense of coming home filled her heart.

Chance drew back, but Casey still leaned into his warm strength. What was with her legs? Like two quivery rubber bands, they threatened at any second to collapse. Darned if she didn’t feel like a teenager on her first date.

This is just the beginning of Chance and Casey’s romance, and their story continues in the sequel, Tetons by Morning, soon to be published by The Wild Rose Press. The books are part of a trilogy, North Star Legacy.

You can find out more about me and my books here:

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Buy Link: https://wildrosepress.com/product/chances-return/

Bio:

Lucy Naylor Kubash has been writing for most of her life. She began her career writing short romance stories for Woman’s World magazine and now writes contemporary romance for The Wild Rose Press. Lucy has penned a column, The Pet Corner, for nearly 25 years, that advocates for homeless pets and animal rescue. She lives in Michigan with her husband of 53 years where they enjoy spending time with their two grown children, an assortment of pets, and traveling whenever possible.