Blog Tour: Tie Me Down: Melanie Harlow
Tie Me Down
Melanie Harlow
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Release Date May 24. 2021
Just friends.
That’s all Beckett Weaver and I have ever been.
Sure, he’s a hot cowboy who left Wall Street behind to take over his family’s ranch. Yes, I’ve had a secret crush on him since we were seventeen. And who wouldn’t appreciate those strong hands, that massive chest, and the way he fills out a pair of Levis?
He makes a girl sweat just looking at him . . . and I look. A lot.
But I’m a single mom trying to move on with my life, and he’s running that ranch single-handedly while taking care of his elderly father. We don’t even live in the same state. I only returned to my hometown of Bellamy Creek to sell my late mother’s house, and he just invited me and my son to stay with him because he’s got a big heart.
That’s not the only big thing he’s got--which I discover the night I finally sneak across the hall to his bedroom and shed my inhibitions right alongside my pajamas. And once we give into each other, we can’t stop.
The hayloft. The bed of his truck. The dock by the pond.
Nothing has ever felt so right, but his past has taught him not to believe in happily ever after, and every perfect night I spend in his arms brings us closer to goodbye.
Like any cowboy, he’s good with a rope and knows exactly how to tie me up.
But what if I want him to tie me down?
Beckett Weaver might be the most stubborn of the Bellamy Creek guys and he does not even mean to be. He is the strong, silent, cowboy type. He keeps his feelings locked down, ignores his own needs, takes care of everyone else, and follows his own moral code. He has watched his three best friends fall in love, but he is afraid of it for himself. He has abandonment issues and is afraid of rejection, failure, or not being enough. He has obligations at the ranch that take his time and energy. He does not really understand love and he is a numbers guy that does not like the odds of finding his forever. But he has had feelings for the same girl since his teens and now that friend is returning to town and will be staying with him for a couple of weeks.
Maddie Blake is the girl from across the street that was a friend but never his. He was afraid of pursuing her then and still is. She has a history of choosing jerks and is now a divorced, single mom with trust issues and her own fears about her own judgment. Maddie is sweet, caring, loving, and accepting. She is also analytical and careful, and does not want to ruin their friendship. But she has her own life and she has to think of her son as well. She is afraid of making a mistake, but is at least willing to try.
But Beckett is stoic, stubborn, and just plain clueless and scared. I seriously wanted to shake sense into him several times. He is afraid to admit what everyone else sees. And time is running out and he is going to lose her one way or another if he does not face his issues and give her a real reason to stay.
This is a second-chance, friends-to-lovers, small-town romance with all the feels. It brings back all of the couples that we have fallen in love with during this series. These guys are truly brothers and their women have helped create such a supportive group. I loved getting more with all of them and seeing them progress even more. Her son, Elliot, is such a sweet stand-out, and I just adored his vibrant personality and relationships with everyone. I could truly sympathize with Beckett regarding his dad, but admired how dedicated they were to keeping him safe and happy. I thought the author did a wonderful job exploring some of the challenges that they faced as a family. And the epilogues left me smiling and my heart full.
When Beckett reached the landing, he headed for his bedroom.
“Night.”
I opened my mouth to say goodnight—I swear I did.
But that’s not what came out.
“I need to tell you something,” I blurted.
He turned and faced me.
“I want to answer your question.” My heart raced, and my fingers locked over my stomach.
“What question?”
“You asked me—last night—why I always chose jerks.”
“You said you didn’t know.”
“I lied. I do know.”
He was silent a moment. “So tell me.”
I took a step toward him. “I chose jerks because they didn’t ask anything of me. They didn’t expect anything of me. They didn’t even want much from me—just skin.”
Beckett took a deep breath, his chest expanding.
“That’s why I couldn’t be with you,” I whispered.
“Because you think I would have expected perfection?”
“Because you would have deserved it.”
He exhaled and shook his head. “You’re wrong.”
“I’m sorry. This is stupid.” I squeezed my eyes shut a moment. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this right now. It’s not like I can go back and do things differently. I guess I just wish I would have been brave enough to tell you the truth back then.”
“What’s the truth?”
“That I wish I could have been yours. I know you would have been good to me.”
He said nothing for ten full seconds, during which my heart banged painfully against my ribs and I regretted everything.
“Listen, forget I said anything,” I said quickly. “I don’t know what Blair puts in that apple pie, but—”
“I have something to tell you too.”
I swallowed. “You do?”
“Yeah. Several things, actually.” He moved closer to me, so close I could feel his breath on my lips. “First, I’m glad you finally answered my question. It’s been bothering me for fifteen years. Second, you’re right. I would have been good to you. And third, no—we can’t go back and do things differently. The past is past.”
“Yes. Well, goodnight.” Tears of mortification burning my eyes, I spun away from him, but he grabbed my arm.
“But there’s one more thing.”
“What?” I whispered.
“I sleep with my bedroom door open. But I want you to think hard before you take advantage of that. Because I’m not eighteen anymore, and I’m no longer in the mood to be a gentleman.”
Then he let go of my arm and disappeared across the hall.
With my legs trembling, I slipped into my room, shut the door and leaned back against it, fanning my face.
Holy. Shit.
He’d left it up to me.
But his invitation was clear. I hadn’t imagined it.
And before I thought about it too hard and blew my chance to be with him, I raced into the bathroom, pulled my braids out, and brushed my teeth. Back in my bedroom, I whipped off my clothes and pulled on the pineapple-print tank and matching shorts I’d brought to sleep in. Not exactly my sexiest lingerie, but in my defense, seduction hadn’t been on my to-do list when I’d packed my bags.
Then I took a deep breath, opened my door, and snuck across the hall.
When Blair Beaufort literally crashes into Bellamy Creek wearing a ball gown and a tiara, I should have towed her car, said goodnight, and sent her packing.
I’m a mechanic, not a hotel manager. I've got enough on my plate trying to keep my shop from going under, my overbearing mother off my back, and my baseball team in contention for the league championship. I don’t have time for a former debutante with zero street smarts and a cash flow problem, even if she is crazy beautiful.
Problem is, she’s stranded in my small town, and I’m hiding a protective streak underneath my broody exterior that runs deep. So I offer her a place to stay and keep my hands to myself.
For exactly one night.
If only she weren't so gorgeous. So funny. So eager to please. She’s a disaster behind the wheel, but she drives me wild without even trying--at work, at home, in the back of my truck . . . I can’t get enough of the way she makes me feel.
But I know better than to think it can last. She wants a fairy tale, and I’m no prince.
So when it comes time for her to leave, there’s nothing I can do but let her go.
No matter how much it hurts to say goodbye.
The hot single dad next door.
And one accidental sext later, my massive crush on him is no longer a secret.
It’s my own damn fault. I’m thirty years old, for heaven’s sake. I’m a kindergarten teacher and a (reasonably) responsible adult. I should know better than to get tipsy and draft a fake text listing all the dirty things I wish Officer Cole Mitchell would do to me.
I wasn’t supposed to hit send.
He wasn’t supposed to see it.
And he definitely wasn’t supposed to text back telling me to go on . . .
Because after that, things escalate quickly.
Cole is everything I’ve ever wanted. He’s sexy and protective. A devoted father to his little girl. A dedicated cop the whole town adores. The kind of guy you can trust to keep his hands to himself, even when you’re desperately hoping he won’t.
I’m not the girl he thought he’d end up with, but after all this time, I might finally get the chance to say the words I’ve always dreamed of . . . make me yours.
I’m a mechanic, not a hotel manager. I've got enough on my plate trying to keep my shop from going under, my overbearing mother off my back, and my baseball team in contention for the league championship. I don’t have time for a former debutante with zero street smarts and a cash flow problem, even if she is crazy beautiful.
Problem is, she’s stranded in my small town, and I’m hiding a protective streak underneath my broody exterior that runs deep. So I offer her a place to stay and keep my hands to myself.
For exactly one night.
If only she weren't so gorgeous. So funny. So eager to please. She’s a disaster behind the wheel, but she drives me wild without even trying--at work, at home, in the back of my truck . . . I can’t get enough of the way she makes me feel.
But I know better than to think it can last. She wants a fairy tale, and I’m no prince.
So when it comes time for her to leave, there’s nothing I can do but let her go.
No matter how much it hurts to say goodbye.
Make Me Yours
He’s my brother’s best friend.
Call Me Crazy
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Kim's 4.5 star review
We had it all worked out, from the no-touching policy on our wedding night (her rule) to the no-falling-in-love decree (mine). She’d marry me, I’d give her the means to have the baby she’d always wanted, and one year later we’d amicably part ways with no hassle, no demands, and certainly no regrets.
After all, Bianca DeRossi and I are experts at infuriating one another--we’ve been doing it since we were kids. Trouble is, she grew up gorgeous and feisty, and she still knows exactly how to get under my skin.
And that wedding night? Well, it doesn’t exactly go down hands-free.
Then she moves in with me, and I really start to lose my mind. From her sexy little pout to her wicked sense of humor to those meatball sandwiches she makes just because she knows they’re my favorite . . . I find myself wanting to break every rule we put in place.
Our story was never supposed to end with happily ever after.
But call me crazy, I just might be in love with my wife.
Melanie Harlow
USA Today bestselling author Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. When she's not writing or reading, she gets her kicks from TV series like Schitt’s Creek, Homeland, and Fleabag. She occasionally runs three miles, but only so she can have more gin and steak.
Melanie is the author of the CLOVERLEIGH FARMS series, the ONE & ONLY series, AFTER WE FALL series, the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE series, the FRENCHED series, and the sexy historical SPEAK EASY duet, set in the 1920s. She lifts her glass to romance readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.
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