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Locked in an unexpected land dispute, Rafe Stryker is trapped in the one place he vowed never to return to-the Castle Ranch in Fool's Gold, California. He made millions facing ruthless adversaries in the boardroom, but nothing could've prepared him to go head-to-head against stubborn, beautiful Heidi Simpson. No one is more surprised than Rafe to discover that he's finding Heidi-and life as a cowboy-much more compelling than he wants to admit.
For Heidi, the Castle Ranch is the home she's always wanted. After a life on the road, the vivacious blonde has finally put down roots. She won't give that up without a fight, not even for a man whose late-night kisses make her yearn to be a little less...wholesome.
As the two turn from passionate adversaries to passionate, period, they'll discover that summer love can last a lifetime.
- Booklist on Only Mine
"An adorable, outspoken heroine and an intense hero...set the sparks flying in Mallery's latest lively, comic, and touching family-centered story."
- Library Journal on Only Yours
"Mallery's prose is luscious and provocative."
-Publishers Weekly
"When it comes to heartfelt contemporary romance, Mallery is in a class by herself."
- RT Book Reviews on Only Yours
"If you want a story that will both tug on your heartstrings and tickle your funny bone, Mallery is the author for you!"
- RT Book Reviews on Only His
New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery has entertained millions of readers with her witty and emotional stories about women. Publishers Weekly calls Susan’s prose “luscious and provocative,” and Booklist says “Novels don’t get much better than Mallery’s expert blend of emotional nuance, humor and superb storytelling.” Susan lives in Seattle with her husband and her tiny but intrepid toy poodle. Visit her at www.SusanMallery.com.
Only in Fool's Gold would a Mercedes be brought to a stop by a goat. Rafe Stryker turned off the engine of the powerful sedan and climbed out. The goat in the middle of the road surveyed him with a confident gleam in her dark eyes. If he hadn't known better, he would have sworn she was telling him this was her road and if anyone was going to back down in this battle of wills, it would be him.
"Damn goats," he muttered, looking around for whomever owned the wayward animal. Instead, he saw a few trees, a broken fence line and, beyond all that, mountains soaring up to the heavens. Some would describe this as God's country. Rafe knew that God, being smart and all knowing, would have nothing to do with Fool's Gold.
Hard to believe that a three hour drive west would return Rafe to San Francisco—land of fine dining, high-rise buildings and beautiful women. It was where he belonged. Not here, on the outskirts of some town he'd promised himself he would never set foot in again. And yet he had returned, drawn by the one person he could never turn his back on—his mother.
Swearing under his breath, he eyed the goat. He would guess she weighed about a hundred and twenty pounds, give or take. While he'd spent the past eighteen years doing his best to forget his time in Fool's Gold, the lessons he'd learned on the Castle Ranch lived on. He figured if he'd been able to wrestle an adult steer as a scrawny fourteen-year-old, he should be able to take a goat now. Or at the very least, pick her up and move her to the side of the road.
He lowered his gaze to her hooves, wondering how sharp they would be and what they would do to his suit. He rested his elbow on the roof of his car and pinched the bridge of his nose. If his mother hadn't sounded so broken on the phone, he would turn around and go back home. In San Francisco he had a staff, minions even. People who would take care of things like goats in the road.
He chuckled, imagining his starchy assistant facing down a goat. Ms. Jennings, a fifty-something powerhouse with an innate ability to make the most successful of executives feel incompetent, would most likely stare the goat into submission.
"You found her!"
Rafe turned toward the voice and saw a woman jogging toward him. She had a rope in one hand and what looked like lettuce in the other.
"I was so worried. Athena lives to get into trouble. I can't find a gate lock that will keep her contained. She's smart. Aren't you, baby girl?"
The woman approached the goat and patted her on the back. The goat moved toward her, like a dog seeking affection. She took the lettuce and the rope around her neck with equal acceptance.
The woman glanced back at him. "Hi. I'm Heidi Simpson."
She was maybe five-nine, with blond hair she wore in braided pigtails. A cotton shirt tucked into jeans showed him she was leggy and curvy, a combination that normally appealed. Just not today. Not when he still had to deal with his mother and a town he despised.
"Rafe Stryker," he said.
The woman—Heidi—stared at him, her green eyes widening as she took a single step back. Her full mouth trembled slightly and she lost her smile.
"Stryker," she whispered and swallowed. "May is your—"
"Mother. How do you know her?"
Heidi took another step back. "She's, ah, at the ranch right now. Talking to my grandfather. There seems to be a mix-up."
"Mix-up?" He used what Ms. Jennings referred to as his scary, serial-killer voice. "Is that how you'd describe what happened? I was thinking more along the lines of fraud and theft. Felony theft."
This was bad, Heidi thought, wishing she could simply run for it. Not that she wasn't one to face her problems. But in this case, she would feel a lot better facing them around other people, rather than on a deserted road. She eyed Athena, wondering if the goat would protect her, then decided probably not. Athena would be more interested in getting a taste of Rafe Stryker's well-cut, obviously expensive suit.
The man standing in front of her looked seriously pissed. Pissed enough to plow her over with his big car and keep going. He was tall, with dark hair and eyes, and right now he looked angry enough to crush her with his bare hands. She had a feeling he was strong enough to do it, too.
She drew in a breath. Okay, maybe he wouldn't crush her, but he wanted to do something. She could read that in his brown-black eyes.
"I know what you're thinking," she began.
"I doubt that."
His voice was low, silky and made her feel unsettled. As though she couldn't predict what was going to happen next and, whatever it was, it was going to be bad.
"My grandfather overstepped his bounds," she began, thinking it wasn't the first time Glen had given in to his "ask forgiveness rather than permission" philosophy of life. "He didn't mean to hurt anyone."
"He stole from my mother."
Heidi winced. "You're close to her?" She shook her head. "Never mind. Stupid question." If Rafe didn't take care of his mother, he wouldn't be here now. Not that she was surprised. From what she could tell, May was a lovely woman who had been very understanding about the mistake. Although not understanding enough to keep her son out of it.
"Glen, my grandfather, has a close friend who was diagnosed with cancer. Harvey needed treatment, didn't have insurance, and Glen wanted to help." Heidi did her best to smile, but her lips didn't feel as if they were cooperating. "So, um, he got the idea of selling part of the ranch. To your mother."
"The ranch that belongs to you."
"Technically." Her name was the one on the bank loan. She hadn't done the math, but she would guess she had in the neighborhood of seventy thousand dollars in equity. The rest of the ranch was tied up in her mortgage.
"He took two hundred and fifty thousand dollars from my mother, and in return she owns nothing."
"Kind of."
"Your grandfather has no way to pay her back."
"He gets social security and we have some savings."
Rafe's gaze moved from her to Athena and back. "How much in savings?"
Defeat made her shoulders sag. "Twenty-five hundred dollars."
"Please move the goat. I'm going to the ranch."
Heidi stiffened her spine. "What are you going to do?"
"Have your grandfather arrested."
"You can't!" Glen was the only family she had. "He's an old man."
"I'm sure the judge will take that into account when setting bail."
"He didn't mean to hurt anyone."
Rafe was unmoved by her plea. "My family grew up here, Ms. Simpson. My mother was the housekeeper. The old man who owned the ranch paid her next to nothing. At times there wasn't enough money for her to feed her four children. But she hung on because he promised to leave her the ranch when he died."
Heidi didn't like this story. She just knew it had a bad ending.
"Like your grandfather, he lied. When he finally died, the ranch went to distant relatives back east." His dark eyes turned into lasers that seemed to bore into her, promising untold punishment. "No one is going to screw my mother out of this ranch twice."
Oh, no! It was worse than she'd imagined. Much worse. "You have to understand. My grandfather would never hurt anyone. He's a great guy."
"He's the man who stole two hundred and fifty thousand dollars from my mother, Ms. Simpson. The rest is simply window dressing. Now, move your goat."
Unable to think of what else to say, Heidi stepped to the side of the road. Athena trotted along with her. Rafe got in his car and drove away. The only thing missing from his angry departure was a cloud of dust. However, the road was paved and well maintained by the city. One of the advantages of living in Fool's Gold.
She waited until he'd gone past, then turned toward the ranch and started to run. Athena kept up easily, for once not insisting on extending her time of freedom.
"Did you hear that?" Heidi asked, her athletic shoes pounding on the pavement. "That man is really mad at us."
Athena trotted along, apparently unconcerned about Glen's fate.
"You'll be sorry if we have to sell you to pay back May Stryker," Heidi muttered, then wished she hadn't.
All her life she'd only wanted one thing. A home. A real home with a roof and a foundation, hooked up to sewer and water and electricity. Something most people took for granted. But she'd grown up moving from town to town, the rhythm of her days defined by the carnival where her grandfather worked.
When she'd found the Castle Ranch, she'd fallen instantly and madly in love. With the land, the old house and especially the nearby town of Fool's Gold. She had a herd of eight goats, uncounted feral cows and nearly a thousand acres of land. She'd started a business making goat cheese and goat-milk soap. She sold goat milk and goat fertilizer. There were natural caves where she could age her cheese. This was her home and she wasn't giving it up for anything.
But she might have to give it up for somebody. Glen. Who'd sold a part of what he didn't own to a woman with a very angry son.
bookholiday
Posted May 30, 2012
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I really enjoyed this story. There was so much to like. very good book!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 24, 2012
I have read every book Susan Mallery has written and loved them all but...am I the only person that cannot grasp everyone making light of the fact that grandpa stole $250,000 from May? OMG! I am having a huge problem with Heidi not getting it and thinks Rafe is taking "her" ranch away. I love a good love story but I'm not sure I can finish this one. Heidi, a goat girl with braids, lives w/her grandfather. And is anyone as dense as May ~ she's only in her 50s.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.cx3ane
Posted June 7, 2012
I love Susan Mallery & Fool's Gold!! Rafe & Heidi has a great chemistry together even though they are both stubborn. I feel so bad for Heidi, who finally has a home of her own. Rafe swore he would never go back to Fool's Gold, but he did it for his mother. I love May. She was something else! If you are looking for a good romance book, then this is it! You won't be disappointed!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.BRumsey
Posted May 30, 2012
Who can resist a strong alpha cowboy that tries to hide a nurturing heart and a woman that will fight for who and what she loves. Susan Mallery weaves a tale of romance between two people with opposite dreams that must learn to take a chance on love. Located in the small town of Fool's Gold, CA where everyone knows your business but loves you anyway, Susan has succeeded in creating a place where you want to keep visiting. SUMMER DAYS is a refreshing adventure that keeps you turning the page. Can't wait for the next two books coming out this summer: SUMMER NIGHTS and ALL SUMMER LONG.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.DyanC
Posted May 29, 2012
Seriously, can you imagine a better place than Fool's Gold? And Rafe Stryker is right up there with the other amazing guys who have settled there! I feel the need to relocate there and maybe Susan can create cowboy for me too!!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Judie-B
Posted May 29, 2012
I have been a fan of Susan Mallery's for a while now and while the Fool's Gold series is more light hearted than her stand alone books the entire series is a worthy read. I love the town of Fool's Gold and the relationships she has established between the towns residents, I for one would love to live in that type of community. If your looking for an entertaining, easy read type of book that gets your heart involved then be sure to read Summer Days. If you haven't read this series, what are you waiting for?
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Cheerleader_Duck
Posted May 29, 2012
Summer days by Susan Mallery is a great book I could not put it down. Cant wait for the next one is the series
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Claire_sax
Posted May 29, 2012
Another home run for Mallery! Fool's Gold is the land of happy endings and we are lucky enough to get to read another one with Summer Days.
Rafe Stryker, the first of the Stryker brothers featured in Fool's Gold, is a perfect hero. He's tough, rough under his polished exterior, and throughout the book you see his softer side coming through. The book begins with Rafe heading to his mother's rescue over a dispute regarding the home of a new Fool's Gold resident, Heidi. Heidi owns a goat farm. Really, a goat farm! Their love story begins with perfect sexual tension running beneath dislike. As each character sees more depth in each other they grow softer and the passion ignites.
Speaking of passion...it's well written and HOT! We all know the real reason we read Romance Novels and Mallery does it with class that leaves you satisfied.
If you are looking for a nice summer read that won't tax your brain and gives you a happy ending, this is the perfect book. You won't regret your purchase!
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 31, 2013
I have read many of the Fool's Gold series and overall enjoyed them. Sorry, this book was not worth my time or money.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.tallaKF
Posted December 28, 2012
good story
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 6, 2012
How many pages ?
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Momwholovesbooks0
Posted December 2, 2012
Love these books. They make you feel good and are easy reading. Perfect stuff after a long day at the office.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.JJMJRCC
Posted October 26, 2012
I LIKED IT VERY MUCH. A LITTLE SLOW BUT FINE. SHE WRITE VERY WELL. AND TELLS A GOOD STORY.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.When he finally drove onto the ranch it was to find yet another truck in by the barn. Only this one wasn’t from any media outlet and what was slowly backing out of the trailer had him as open-mouthed as any cartoon character.
“What the—“
“You see it, too, then,” Heidi said coming up beside him. “I thought maybe I had brain damage from the flu.”
This is only one passage in Summer Days that made me laugh out loud. Rafe and Heidi’s story is such a great read. The story is centered around Castle Ranch in Fool’s Gold, California. Heidi Simpson meets Rafe Stryker when he comes to find out why his mother, May got swindled out of the ranch she thought she was purchasing from Glen, Heidi’s grandfather. What follows is a story that takes you from California, to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and back again with goats, horses, sheep and more thrown in for fun.
Susan Mallery has done it again with the continuation of her Fool’s Gold series. She does a great job of bringing the town and all of its characters to life. It makes you want to go visit for one of its many festivals. I definitely recommend Summer Days and any of the previous books in the Fool’s Gold series to anyone who hasn’t tried Susan’s books before. You will not be disappointed!
Posted on Romancing the Book's blog
Reviewed by Stacey
Review Copy Provided by Netgalley
It is good to be back in Fool’s Gold! Susan Mallery takes us back to her wonderful fictional town with some new faces and many familiar ones. We met goat farmer Heidi Simpson in the previous series and she now has the starring role in Summer Days.
Like the Heidi from children’s classic, Heidi Simpson has grown up with her grandfather. Mallery’s Heidi comes complete with the braids but also with the quirky career choice of being a goat farmer and cheese maker. She’s not your typical romantic heroine but her vulnerable yet independent personality make you want to see her succeed in whatever she wants.
Unfortunately, Heidi’s grandfather is a little eccentric. He’s a former carny (yes, of the traveling carnivals) and is a real love em’ and leave em’ type of guy who also dabbles in swindling people. This time, he’s swindled a widow out of a quarter of a million dollars and the farm she thought she was purchasing and now her son is in Fool’s Gold to press charges.
Rafe Stryker has a history of his own with Fool’s Gold and would seemingly rather be anyplace else but there. His devotion to his mother brings him and keeps him in town where the four of them have to figure out how to amicably work out who is going to get the farm and how the money is going to be paid back.
Two more opposite character’s, I couldn’t imagine. Heidi is a farm girl and Rafe is a slick business man. With her running around in her braids and milking goats, it’s hard to imagine a city man like Rafe being attracted. As the story develops, however, Susan Mallery gives us a glimpse in to Rafe’s humble beginnings and it soon becomes very easy to see why these two characters can work.
As with all of Susan’s books, this was a great read from start to finish. We got to catch up on some of the inhabitants of Fool’s Gold from previous books while getting a glimpse of what is to come in the series all the while getting to know Rafe and Heidi.
If I had one complaint about the book it would be that I would have loved to see more of the actual relationship between Rafe and Heidi. We are privy to their thoughts when they are alone but once they become involved (and it took a while for that to happen), they had immediate obstacles to overcome that got in the way of a real relationship growing.
Being that Fool’s Gold is the land of happy endings, Summer Days certainly gives you one. It’s nice to read a book where the character’s are real people with real issues and I lift a glass to Susan for giving her readers yet another enjoyable read while keeping us in a place that we continually wish was real.
Anonymous
Posted July 16, 2012
I love all her books
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 11, 2012
Ugh... I couldn't even finish it. The storyline was lame. It was the only one in the series so far that I have not liked.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 8, 2012
Name- Nighthisper.
Rank- Deptuy
Mate- N/A yet.
Kits- N/A yet.
Trats- loyal, fierce, daring, and loving.
Littermate(s)- Pinewhisker.
Description- a fluffy pure black she-cat with holly green eyes.
Name-Pinewhisker.
Rank- Warrior.
Mate- N/A yet
Kits- N/A yet.
Trats- loyal, loving and adventrous.
Description- a dark red colored tom with blue eyes.
Anonymous
Posted July 8, 2012
Info page. Please post your info like this-
Name: Daykit/paw/leaf/star
Rank:Leader
Mate: None yet
Kits: None yet
Description: Light gray ragdoll with white flecks on her muzzle and hind legs.
Eye color: Blue
Three Traits: Loving, loyal, daring.
Please do not post in paragraphs and update your info regularly. Thanks!
judiOH
Posted June 27, 2012
i have to be honest and say that this is the first fool's gold novel i have read. however it will not be the last. romance and conflict in the same story? great! heidi's grandfather sells a ranch he does not own to rafe's mother. rafe is totally angry about this and wants either the ranch or the money. it goes to court. neither heidi or her grandfather have the money, so the judge stays her decision and the four share life at the ranch. life on the ranch gets very interesting....well i gotta go...summer nights, (the next in the series) is waiting on my desk for me to read. if you are not a fol's gold fan, you will be after reading this story.
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Overview
New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery returns with a new Fool's Gold trilogy featuring three rugged cowboys who will find love in the unlikeliest of places....
Locked in an unexpected land dispute, Rafe Stryker is trapped in the one place he vowed never to return to-the Castle Ranch in Fool's Gold, California. He made millions facing ruthless adversaries in the boardroom, but nothing could've prepared him to go head-to-head against stubborn, beautiful Heidi Simpson. ...