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Word Count: ~80,000
Cover by: Okay Creations
Summary from Goodreads:
All Beatriz “Bia” Fernandes wants is to prove herself—to her family and friends—though it’s hard to prove anything with an overbearing father and three famous polo-playing older brothers. After her acceptance into college results in a heated family argument, the Brazilian girl leaves everything behind to find her own American dream.
College life away from home is perfect until the people she believes to be her friends turn on her. With lies and rumors threatening to suffocate her, Bia turns to her only freedom. Riding.
But one thing gets in the way of her escape. Garrett Blackwell and his bad cowboy attitude. Working at the ranch is his obligation, bugging Bia is his newfound hobby. His thick skin and easy grin don’t hide what Bia already knows—this misunderstood and lonely cowboy fights his own demons. Brushing horses’ coats and mucking out stalls shouldn’t be this sexy, and it isn’t long before he becomes a part of her distraction.
However, escaping won’t solve her problems, and it’s up to Bia to break down the fences around her and prove her strength—not to her family and friends, but to herself … and for Garrett. Because standing on her own doesn’t have to mean standing alone.
College life away from home is perfect until the people she believes to be her friends turn on her. With lies and rumors threatening to suffocate her, Bia turns to her only freedom. Riding.
But one thing gets in the way of her escape. Garrett Blackwell and his bad cowboy attitude. Working at the ranch is his obligation, bugging Bia is his newfound hobby. His thick skin and easy grin don’t hide what Bia already knows—this misunderstood and lonely cowboy fights his own demons. Brushing horses’ coats and mucking out stalls shouldn’t be this sexy, and it isn’t long before he becomes a part of her distraction.
However, escaping won’t solve her problems, and it’s up to Bia to break down the fences around her and prove her strength—not to her family and friends, but to herself … and for Garrett. Because standing on her own doesn’t have to mean standing alone.
** Companion novel of Breaking the Reins. Can be read out of order.**
Available from:
Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks
Companion Book:
(cover linked to Goodreads)
Companion Book:
(cover linked to Goodreads)
Excerpt
I fed
the horses, made sure they had plenty of water, asked Tom which horses to get
ready, and after he spat out the names of eight of them, I got them tacked and
into the arena.
The
guide, Larry, a man of about forty with sand-blond hair and a mustache, arrived
five minutes before the first customer did and he didn’t even say thanks for
all I did.
By
the time the group left, I was exhausted. I went inside, grabbed some water
from the fountain inside Tom’s office, and sat on the second to last step of a
flight of stairs directly across from Midnight’s stall. I could hear hammering
and cursing coming from the tack room, but honestly, I was too tired to move a
muscle, let alone stand to go see if they were all right.
Midnight
stuck his head out of the stall and nickered at me. He had tried catching my
attention all morning, but the most I did was pet him while I checked on his
food and water.
“Hey,
big boy. How is it going?” He moved his head up and down, and I smiled. “Sorry.
Can’t move. Give me a few minutes and I promise I’ll pet you, okay?”
He
nickered again and I watched him. He was so beautiful, so strong, so alive. If
I were in any condition, I would be tacking him right now and taking him for a
ride.
Tom
came out of the tack room cursing.
“How
is it going in there?” I asked.
He
cursed some more and walked past me. He went into his office and came back a
minute later, carrying a box of nails and a hammer. He branded it in the air.
“Broke the other one.”
“What?”
I laughed.
He
glared at me. “It’s not funny.” He disappeared into the tack room.
I
stayed seated on the stairs for over fifteen minutes, while hammering and
cursing echoed on the background. Finally, I was able to move again. Midnight
nickered as soon as I stood. Smiling, I approached him and embraced him. He
nipped at my hair and muzzled my neck.
“Are
you gonna make out with the horse?” Garrett asked.
I
turned my face to his voice. He was under the doorframe of the tack room. “He’s
not my type.”
Garrett
raised an eyebrow. “What type is your type?”
Boldness
filled me. “I like tall guys, with strong arms, who usually wear cowboy boots
and hats. Oh, my kind of guy also rocks dirty jeans and a sweaty T-shirt.”
The
corner of his lip curled up, and he shook his head. “Too much bark, not too
much bite.”
I let
go of Midnight, turned around, and leaned against the horse stall, staring at
him while Midnight poked my back with his muzzle.
“Come
closer and we’ll see about that.”
His
eyes darkened and his jaw popped. He took a step toward me.
About the Author
While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in Connecticut and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.
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