Cowboy (Busy Bean #2) by L.B. Dunbar

A Review by Wendy

 5 Any Day Ending In Day Stars
* * * * *

Spoiler Free

 L.B. Dunbar really took this idea of people who have lived lives, had the mistakes and scars from them, and gave them a chance at true happiness. Oh, how I love when that happens. I have nothing against writers who do the New Age Thing or limit their focus to those in their 30s...but nothing makes me happier than an author who sees more...who sees the rest of the population that is over 40 and still interested in relationships, romance, and hot, hot sex.

Yes, staggering as it may seem...People over 40 and more, shock of shock, have a serious sex drive. They have figured out how to have sex and enjoy it. Just because you may have lived a bit, that doesn't stop you from having the need and desired to love and be loved.

So L.D. Dunbar is my hero because Cowboy (Busy Bean, #2) is all about two people in the 40s who like sex, do it very well, and also connect on a new personal level they hadn't experienced before.

Scarlett Russell was having a day. She was just told she no longer had a job after being there for years. Stunned this could happen to her, she went to the hospital where her surgeon husband worked. She thought she and her doctor husband had a re-connection last night and searched for him at the hospital to talk about how they could refocus on their marriage.

Instead, when she found her husband, he was standing near this young nursing student as if it meant something. Turns out it did; She was pregnant and they were going to marry as soon as he divorced Scarlett. It was rather ironic as he had stopped Scarlett from having kids.

So the only thing Scarlett could do was to go to her best friend Rita's place. Rita insisted she come to Vermont and she would take good care of her. Scarlett went and her friend did take care to make things better.

Harland Bull Eaton is one of those guys women dream about. Yes, he is solid, handsome, and a presence...but he is more than that. He is "quote-one of the good ones-unquote." He is a hard-working dairy farmer along with his brothers and family. Doing that type of work is not for everyone, the long hours are killer. Most women are not cut out for this type of life but that did not stop Harlen from putting himself out there. He did it about three times, each with the women leaving him...causing him to now have PTSD about his feelings for love and trusting them.

Both of these people are not looking for any type of relationship or commitment or anything. Yet, the need to get over whatever had brought them to this moment in time is front and center. All things happen for a reason and Harlen and Scarlett end up in the same bar with their friends guiding them to let loose and get laid, no strings attached. So when Harlen is pushed to ask Scarlett if he can buy her a drink, Scarlett decides to take it where it really needs to go...and boy, do they.

SIDE NOTE: The chemistry, the way it is written, the feelings of it all...So Friggin' Good. Just, sayin'...

These two hook up, with the idea of a one-night stand and as the blurb lets you know...Baby is happening. Yes, this baby is a major part of this story but there is so much more happening than that. It is a look at how fear, the need to trust, and the questions of whether to, are a serious part of it. Lots of internal growth for both and it isn't overnight. We go through a real journey with these characters and their family and friends. It worked on so many levels because, in real life, nothing is a straight line.

As you can tell, I really loved this book and cannot wait for more from this Busy Bean series. 

About L.B. Dunbar

L.B. Dunbar has an over-active imagination. To her benefit, such creativity has led to over thirty romance novels, including those offering a second chance at love over 40. Her signature works include the #sexysilverfoxes collection of mature males and feisty vixens ready for romance in their prime years. She’s also written stories of small-town romance (Heart Collection), rock star mayhem (The Legendary Rock Stars Series), and a twist on intrigue and redemption (Redemption Island Duet). She’s had several alter egos including elda lore, a writer of romantic magical realism through mythological retellings (Modern Descendants). In another life, she wanted to be an anthropologist and journalist. Instead, she was a middle school language arts teacher. The greatest story in her life is with the one and only, and their four grown children.