Riding the Line-and ending it...

by Kate Pearce




This is the third book in the Turner brothers series of contemporary erotic Western romances I've written for the 'Cheek' imprint of Virgin Books. (won't you miss saying cheek imprint or is it just me?) It will also be the last-I think, in the Cheek line until further notice. Wow, was it me? Did I close the line?

Knowing that it was likely to happen made it easier to write this book. It gave me the chance to get a bit sappy and refer back to the previous characters and make sure that everyone knew they were happy and likely to stay together forever-ah...My first Cheek book was my first print book so I'm kind of sad to see the line go.


In this book we have half-brother #3, Dakota Scott, referenced in Where Have all the Cowboys gone? He's a good guy, much like his oldest brother, Grayson. Finding him a suitable heroine proved interesting until I chanced upon an episode of Celebrity Rehab and stared in horror at some of the D list celebrities as they tried to confront the mess they'd made of their lives. It was enough to make me pair the likeable sexy goody-two shoes Dakota Scott with the ex-child-celebrity from hell, Robyn Sparrow. She tests him, she drives him crazy and yet he still ends up loving her-and that, of course is really what she's been after all along.

Here's an excerpt from near the beginning of the book when Dakota has met a stranded Robyn in the gas station and offered her a place to sleep for the night. At this point she hasn't even told him her name...

She kept her hand on his flat stomach. “I said do you work out or are you naturally ripped?”
“I ride bulls for a living. I have to be fit or I’m dead.”
Uncomfortable with her scrutiny, he took a step back, difficult in such a small space. “Are you ready to eat?”
She blushed and stuffed her hand back in her pocket. “Yeah, whatever.”
“I’ll just grab a clean T-shirt.”
“Don’t bother on my account.”
She spoke over her shoulder as he followed her out into the main room. He found his duffle bag and hunkered down beside it to search for a shirt. Hell, was she coming on to him? Had he totally misjudged her? She sat back down on the bed, her body posture dejected. Dakota found an old white T-shirt and pulled it over his head.
“Look, if you’re hoping to earn some money here…”
She shot to her feet and stormed across to him. He stood up as well, unwilling to let her tower over him and flinched as she poked him in the chest.
“I am not a whore!”
“I didn’t say you were. I just want you to be clear about what’s going on here.” He met her gaze. “I’m offering you a place to sleep tonight, that’s all. I’ve never paid for sex and I don’t intend to start now.”
She raised her eyebrows. “So you must still be a virgin, right?”
Even though she was deliberately getting in his face, he caught the note of desperation in her voice.
“Yeah, that’s right. I’m saving myself for marriage. It’s all the rage with us cowboys, now. That Brokeback Mountain movie was one hell of a wake up call.”
“You’re not at all funny, you know.”
She held his gaze, her luscious lips tightly pressed together as if she was afraid to speak again.
“Are you sure about that?”
She stepped back, wrapped her arms around her waist and sat down with a decided thump on the bed. He turned his back on her and continued to sort out the stuff in his bag. He put his toothbrush and shaving gear in the bathroom and filled up the coffee jug.


It's a road journey, a sexual tease and a love story all rolled into one. Writing it reminded me of those classic old black and white movies with loads of snappy dialogue and sexual tension to die for. I enjoyed the characters so much, unlike Helen and Jay in Roping the Wind whom I loved but who seriously gave me a headache.

And as this is potentially my last solo post here at LB, (sob) here's a bit more where she's still trying to get him into bed.

“Holy shit!”
Dakota leapt to his feet spilling coffee and crumbs everywhere. He glared down at Jane.
“What the hell are you doing?”
She looked up at him, her expression one of injured innocence.
“What do you think I’m doing?”
He sat back down. “Nothing I asked for, nothing I want.”
“You don’t want a free, no-strings-attached blow job?”
His cock did and stirred in anticipation. He forced his mind back to cold showers, injuries he’d sustained while riding, bleak winter landscapes. It didn’t work.
“Listen, Jane or whatever your name is, I’m tired. All I want to do is get some sleep and be ready to leave as soon as those guys fix whatever is wrong with my truck.”
“It’s Robyn.”
He frowned. “What?”
“My name is Robyn.”
Her hand slid up his thigh again and he clamped one of his over it.
“Whatever your name is, I still don’t want you.”
She started to cry, the tears falling down her frozen face. He wanted to howl. Why did women do this? Didn’t they know how unfair it was? Hell, of course they did.
“Don’t you find me attractive?”
“I don’t know you well enough to say that.” Her lip trembled and the speed of the tears increased. He hastened to continue. “I’m sure you’re a beautiful woman and that someday some guy will make you very happy, but it’s not going to be me.”
“But I don’t want to be happy. I want to make you happy.”
Her fingers moved again, came to rest perilously close to where his disobedient cock yearned to be serviced. He slammed his hand over hers again, cursing silently as he rubbed against his own half-aroused flesh.
“I’m perfectly happy just as I am, thanks.”
She moved closer until her mouth was only a couple of inches away from the fly of his jeans. He tensed as she pursed her lips and let out her breath.
“You sure look like you could do with a blow job.”
He gave up the struggle to restrain her hand and resorted to grabbing her by the shoulders and forcibly lifting her onto the bed. She looked up at him, her eyes wide, her tears miraculously disappeared.
“You do want me.”
“Nope, my cock might because he’s got no sense, but I don’t.”
She cupped her breasts and rubbed her thumbs over her nipples. Dakota swallowed hard as his shaft throbbed and thickened in his jeans.
“Why are you doing this?”
She licked her lips, her gaze considering.
“Because I want to and because you’re here?”
He backed away until his shoulders hit the door frame of the bathroom.
“Sex should mean more than that, shouldn’t it?”
“Why? What’s wrong with two people whiling away a few hours fucking?”
Dakota folded his arms across his chest. Damn, he felt like her parent or something. Where had she learned such crap?
“If you don’t know the answer to that, I can’t help you.”
She knelt up, her hands balled into fists, her expression incredulous. “You think you’re too good for me, don’t you?”
“No, I’m tired, I want to get some sleep and that’s it.”


The bad news is that it isn't out until next Feb, so I don't have any to give away, although you can pre-order it
here in the UK and here for the U.S. I'll also be running some contests on my blog and newsletter, so keep in touch!