The Montana Doctor is currently on sale for 99 cents.
Small-town doctor and Endeavour Ranch co-owner Dr. Dallas Tucker has very few problems in life—other than a shortage of time and an inheritance he doesn’t believe he deserves. He loves volunteering at the local nursing home and is planning to open a clinic on the ranch. But when he discovers the woman who loved and left him has moved to Grand, Montana, he sets out to win her back.
Brewmaster Hannah Brand still regrets her impulsive mistake at her sister’s wedding. After discovering her high school sweetheart had cheated on her, she had a passionate one night stand with a charming doctor and left town. Determined to pursue her dream of opening her own brewery, Hannah moves back to Grand and is determined to move on with her life—single.
But when the same handsome doctor walks through her door—and clearly makes house calls—Hannah’s past comes flying back. When old doubts resurface, Hannah wonders if time really can heal all wounds…
Dallas and Hannah’s story is the 5th book in my Grand, Montana series.
Dallas Tucker is one of three friends who inherit a ranch and several billion dollars to run it. (Don’t we all dream of that?) He hasn’t settled easily into his good fortune. Something is missing. Or, more accurately, someone.
Dallas is a people person. He loves being a smalltown family doctor. He’s all about family, friends, and community. So, when he falls for brewmaster Hannah Brand, he falls hard.
Strong women.
With the whole Taylor Swift movement, there’s been a lot of talk lately about strong women and what it takes to be one. Dolly Parton is another shining example—smart, gracious, and funny. We all want to be strong, but we all have different ideas about what being strong means.
Forget about nice. Nice is for show.
“Nice” is a tepid word with no real value. “Nice” is the face people put on for the world. “Nice” isn’t strong. Strong women are kind. Strong women are generous. Strong women have boundaries, and they respect the boundaries of others.
Hannah, to me, is one of the strongest women I’ve ever written. When she suffers a setback and betrayal, rather than getting mad or getting even (which she quickly discovers isn’t for her) she simply moves on. She’s kind, she’s generous, and she’s learned self-protection.
Hannah knows she needs to make changes, but it’s not easy for her. (See the excerpt below for one of my favorite scenes in the book.) She needs to set better boundaries.
Dallas wins Hannah over by respecting those boundaries. But he’s no pushover either and when her past follows her to Grand, he sets boundaries of his own.
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice..."
Hannah is nobody’s fool, and she’s not going to forgive and forget, no matter what Dallas might think. As for nice? She’s not so insecure that she needs to put on a show for the world. She does, however, insist on being kind—and Dallas finds no fault in that.
Dallas and Hannah both have a huge respect for themselves, but equally important, they respect each other.
Strong women deserve confident men.
Follow the Grand, Montana series (each book is a standalone romance):
1. The Rancher Takes a Family—Jake and Lacey
2. The Rancher’s Secret Love—Luke and Mara
3. The Rancher’s Proposal—Zack and Posey
4. The Montana Sheriff—Dan and Jazz
5. The Montana Doctor—Dallas and Hannah
6. The Montana Rancher—Ryan and Elizabeth
7. The Cowboy’s Christmas Baby—Miles and Tate
8. The Cowboy’s Redemption—Levi and Dana
(Book 9 Nix and Shauna’s story, and Book 10 Ford and Maybe, are TBD.)
You can check them out here.
Excerpt from The Montana Doctor:
(For context—Hannah hosts a ladies’ night at her taproom where she tries out new recipes. Her regular bartender couldn’t make it so Dallas steps in.)
Dallas closed the taproom door behind the last departing guest and flipped the deadbolt into position. Bessie Smith belted out St. Louis Blues. He picked up a half-empty glass someone had left on a table.
“How much alcohol is in this beer, anyway?” he asked, holding the thick cocoa brew to the light and examining it as if it might somehow talk.
Hannah bounced her bare heels off the rung of her stool. She’d discarded her shoes at some point—she wasn’t sure when. “Twelf percent.” That didn’t sound right. “Twelve.”
There. That was better.
“Twelve?” Dallas goggled at her.
“I aged it in Canadian whiskey barrels to get the maple flavor,” she explained, defensive. “I told everyone that.”
“Yes, but did everyone understand that the beer soaks up alcohol as well as the flavor?”
“That’s plain common sense.”
For some reason, he seemed to think that answer was funny. “Sure it is—if you’re a brew master. Since when is Canadian whiskey maple-flavored, anyway?”
“The whiskey isn’t. The barrels it comes in are made of maple wood.” She put her finger to her lips. “But my secret—don’t tell anyone—is that I also add maple syrup to the wort after it boils. The fermented sh-sh-sh-sugar is what really bumps up the alcohol content.”
“Your secret is safe with me. Judging by the number of glasses I filled, I’d say your recipe is a resounding success.” He began clearing tables.
Hannah hopped off the stool, then grabbed the edge of the table when the floor spun upward to meet her. “You don’t have to stick around. I can clean up.”
Dallas lifted her by the elbows and deposited her back on the stool she’d vacated. “How about you sit right there and supervise me instead, boss lady. I have fifty-six dollars in tips to work off.”
“And the drinks were already paid for… Imagine how much you could have made if you’d worn a G-string,” Hannah marveled.
“You’re cute when you’re drunk.”
“I’m not drunk.” She thought for a second. “Yes I am. But only a little.”
“It doesn’t matter. You’re cute when you’re sober, too.”
“Thank you. Can I tell you another secret?”
“You can tell me anything you like. I promise I’ll keep it to myself.”
Bold Hannah came out—the one who’d played milkmaid in a stable with him. “Kissing you is good. Really, really good. But you are great in bed. In fact, sex with you is the best I’ve ever had.”
The sound that came out of him was a cross between a strangled laugh and a groan. “That’s probably a secret you’re going to regret telling me later, but thank you. I feel the same way about sex with you.”
Bold Hannah was pleased. “Want to try it again?”
“The answer to that is a resounding yes, but I’m sensing a pattern. Why don’t we shake things up a little and try it without the influence of alcohol?”
Everyday Hannah was going to be horribly embarrassed by this conversation tomorrow, but right now, she was too disappointed to care. She’d needed a few drinks in order to bring Bold Hannah out and it turned out she’d wasted her time. “Are you turning me down?”
“God, no. Well, yes,” he amended. “But only for tonight—and think of it more as a deferral, because it’s definitely not a rejection. I’d like to take you out to dinner first.”
She perked up. “As in a date?”
“Exactly. A date,” he confirmed. “There’ll be dancing involved, too. How about Sunday, since you work every evening before then?”
“Not until after my visit with Marsh, though.” Neither Bold nor Everyday Hannah was giving that up.
“Even better—why don’t I pick you up early, we’ll visit Marsh together, then go out to dinner?”
“He’d love that. He thinks we make a cute couple,” she volunteered. Both Hannahs slapped their mental foreheads. Shut up, Hannah.
“He does, does he?” Dallas finished loading the dishwasher. He snapped the door closed and turned it on. “There. All done.”
He was fast and efficient. She hadn’t even noticed him dispose of the empty food trays.
“Thank you for helping out this evening,” she said.
Dallas smiled at her in a way that made her toes curl. “The pleasure was mine.”
He stooped to kiss her cheek, which wasn’t satisfying at all. She wanted another kiss like the one they’d shared earlier. She draped her arms on his shoulders and clasped her fingers behind his neck.
“Sunday, Hannah,” he said firmly, and disentangled himself. “Sleep well. And don’t forget to lock up behind me.”
The Montana Doctor ~ 99 cents for a short time.