Guest Post and Giveaway: A Cowboy and a Pastry Chef Walk Into a Barn, by Melissa Cutler

Today The Hot Pink Typewriter warmly welcomes Harlequin Romantic Suspense author Melissa Cutler. I had the pleasure of meeting Melissa last summer, and she is as exuberant and fun in person as she is on the page. We're delighted to have her. Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of TEMPTED BY DANGER!

A Cowboy Doctor and a Pastry Chef Walk Into a Barn…

And from the cover art of my latest Harlequin Romantic Suspense release, COLTON BY BLOOD, you can tell that the cowboy doctor ends up carrying his lady love back out as danger closes in on them. What kind of danger, you ask? You’ll have to read the book to find out. Luckily, it’s on sale right now (digitally) for $1.99 at all e-retailers. What a bargain!

I’m Melissa Cutler and I’m thrilled to be a guest on The Hot Pink Typewriter talking about Dr. Levi and Kate. This is a story near and dear to my heart, with characters who are haunted by their respective pasts and only learn the healing power of love—as well as the healing power of bread pudding with whiskey sauce and fresh peach ice cream—after Levi is summoned to the deathbed of his estranged father on a wealthy, secluded Wyoming ranch he’d never been welcomed at before. Kate is the pastry chef at the ranch and she’s instantly drawn to the enigmatic doctor, as he is to her.

Here’s the blurb from the back cover:

Rising romantic suspense star Melissa Cutler reveals more secrets from the Coltons  of Wyoming… An unsolved murder haunts those who live and work at Dead River Ranch. When called to care for the ailing Colton patriarch, Dr. Levi Colton must face the father who never claimed him. He's not looking for distraction, but he finds it in Kate McCord, the irresistible pastry chef. Beneath her sweet smile are scars from her own tragedy—and a determination for justice.

As a wildfire forces them together with an unknown killer, Levi and Kate must confront an attraction that flares hotter than flames. They edge closer to the truth, discovering that the secret that links their pasts could lead them straight into the killer's trap.

Enjoy this scene from COLTON BY BLOOD:

“Can I try it now?” he asked.

She glanced his way to see him holding a spoon over the crème brûlée, waiting for her to give him the green light. “Dig in.”

A satisfying crunch filled the air as he broke the spoon through the burnt sugar shell. He gave a thumbs-up as he chewed. “That’s amazing. May I make a request?”

“Name it.”

“You know how last night Jethro ordered dessert at every meal?”

She combined the dough ingredients and got busy mixing. “Mmm-hmm.”

“You’d better double that order.”

Elation flooded through her. “You’ve got yourself a deal. Anything else?”

“Yeah, on a related topic. Please tell me this ranch has a gym.”

Her grin was so wide, it hurt. When was the last time she’d smiled so much? “It does. Around the corner from the infirmary I told you about last night.”

“Good.” He shoveled a heaping spoonful of crème brûlée into his mouth.

She turned the dough out onto her kneading board. “Do you live in Wyoming?”

“No, Salt Lake City. I went to med school there and it made the most sense to stay for my residency.”

Good to know. She could crush on him all she wanted because he didn’t even live in the same state as her. All she had to do was keep her desires to herself until he left. She pushed a lock of hair away from her face with the back of one floury, doughy hand. “You had quite a drive yesterday.”

“You’re telling me. I did my undergraduate work at the University of Colorado and I made the drive from there to Dead to visit my mom every chance I got. I’d forgotten how tiring it is to drive distances like that.” He walked across the room to the sink and grabbed a paper towel, then wet it. “You didn’t grow up in Dead, did you?”

“No, Cheyenne.”

“Didn’t think so. I would’ve noticed you.” Then he was in her space, reaching the paper towel to her forehead. “You have flour in your hair. Hold still.”

Keeping her head steady, she looked sideways at him.

His brows furrowed in concentration as he wiped the paper towel over her hair, yet a hint of amusement remained. “You need a scrub cap.”

“Like doctors wear?” At his nod, she added, “I usually wear something but I forgot today.” That wasn’t true, precisely. Kate’s hair was so impossibly unruly that she normally wore a bandana while she baked, but it made her look like a chubby-faced pirate wannabe. With Levi as company this morning, vanity won out over practicality.

“I think the water from the paper towel turned the flour into glue. Oops.” He held the afflicted lock of hair out and wrapped the paper towel around it, then pulled.

“It’s been a long time since a boy put glue in my hair. This is like kindergarten all over again.”

He tucked the damp hair behind her ear. “Crème brûlée blowtorch notwithstanding.”

COLTON BY BLOOD is in stores now:

Amazon || B&N || Audible Audio Books || iTunes

Giveaway: Today, as a thank you for stopping by the blog, I’m giving away a backlist book of mine to one commenter (U.S. resident only, please). TEMPTED BY DANGER was my June release, and I know you’ll love it! Since COLTON BY BLOOD has lots of yummy desserts throughout the book, to enter to win, just let me know what your favorite dessert is.

My thanks to The Hot Pink Typewriter for hosting me today. I love hearing from readers and am really easy to find at www.melissacutler.net, on Facebook (www.facebook.com/MelissaCutlerBooks ), and Twitter (@m_cutler). And you can always email me at melissa@melissacutler.net or sign up for my newsletter (http://www.melissacutler.net/newsletter/ ) to find out about my latest books and upcoming events.

Bio: Melissa Cutler knows she has the best job in the world, dividing her time between her dual passions for writing sexy contemporary romances and edge-of-your-seat romantic suspense for Harlequin, Penguin, and Kensington Books. She was struck at an early age by an unrelenting travel bug and is probably planning her next vacation as you read this. When she's not globetrotting, she's enjoying Southern California's flip-flop wearing weather and wrangling two rambunctious kids.