THE MONTANA SHERIFF: Release day blog post featuring Paula Altenburg

The Downside to Being a Billionaire 

Believe it or not, there are plenty of horror stories around winning the lottery. A quick google search of “lottery winners” is eye-opening (and somewhat horrifying). This new-found knowledge isn’t going to make me give up buying the occasional ticket, mind you, but it will lessen the disappointment if I don’t hit the jackpot.

The Grand, Montana series begins with the equivalent of a lottery win for three friends: Sheriff Dan McKillop (The Montana Sheriff, Feb 22nd), Doctor Dallas Tucker (The Montana Doctor, April 25th), and Rancher Ryan O’Connell (The Montana Rancher, June 30th). They met in college, got into a bit of trouble with the law (as boys will occasionally do), and met a judge who saw promise in them. Fast forward, and the judge leaves the three friends a hefty inheritance along with the Endeavour Ranch. There’s a bit of a mystery surrounding the money, however. There are also some strings attached—each of the men is required to do something philanthropic.

Dan McKillop is assigned a search and rescue operation that’s to help out the state of Montana, as well as provide additional firefighting resources. (Which is how he meets Firefighter Jazz O’Reilly.)

Because the series is linked through the inheritance, I wanted each story conflict to touch on it in some way. Grand is a small (therefore somewhat miss-named) town where everyone knows everyone else, so Dan’s not going to have to worry about women who only want him for his money. If he can’t figure it out for himself, someone in town will enlighten him. Ditto for new friends—his roster is already pretty full. He also has the citizens of Grand to keep him focused when it comes to spending his money wisely—they all have opinions on that, too. He’s not comfortable with money, and neither is Dallas in the second book, but fortunately, they have Ryan to manage it for them. 

Dan’s biggest problem is that the woman he wants does not want a rich man. Jazz has had a rough upbringing. Her mother was a Vegas showgirl who relied on her looks to win a man with money, a strategy that failed her three children in a row (with Jazz being the oldest). What happens in Vegas does, indeed, stay in Vegas. Jazz has raised herself out of poverty and a childhood spent on the streets, but she’s never been able to turn her back completely on her sketchy family. When she falls for Dan, she knows her family will be on his doorstep looking for handouts—and she’s seen in the casinos how quickly money can disappear when the right predators happen along. Jazz has her eye on a promotion, which will take her hundreds of miles away from Grand and the Endeavour Ranch. This is going to make a grand gesture hard for Dan, because the terms of the inheritance (not to mention his position as sheriff) keep him firmly tied to the ranch. Giving up the money would be no hardship for him—but the opportunity to use it to serve Grand and Montana? Now there’s a dilemma. 

If you’re curious how Dan and Jazz sort out their differences, be sure to check out The Montana Sheriff. 

And if you’ve read the McGregor Brothers series, you’ll find a lot of familiar faces.

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling Author Paula Altenburg lives in rural Nova Scotia, Canada with her husband and two sons. A former aviation and aerospace professional, Paula now writes contemporary romance and fantasy with romantic elements. You can connect with her at www.paulaaltenburg.com.