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
entered through the back door and halted. Robbie wasn’t kidding. They had a
tall shelf filled with bottles, a mini fridge, and three coolers in the back of
the stand.
I
threw the beer in a garbage can, found one of the many bottles of whiskey,
poured a good dose in a red cup, grabbed a can of Coke from inside the fridge,
and dumped half of it with the whiskey.
“My
kind of girl.”
I
jumped and nearly dropped the cup. Bah, if I had dropped it, my boots would
have been ruined and I would kill the jerk who—
I
turned around, ready to yell at whomever, but shut my mouth when I found myself
face-to-face with Garrett.
He
sidestepped me and poured himself a healthy dose of whiskey. No Coke. He
extended his cup to me. I just watched it. One side of his lips twitched up,
and he wrapped his finger around my wrist and moved my arm, until our cups
bumped into each other. “Cheers.” He let go of my arm and took a sip from his
cup.
I
cleared my throat and drank a big gulp.
In
silence, we watched the guys lining up to kiss random girls through a small
glass window in the center of the front door. One of them walked away from his
turn wiping his mouth, and I laughed.
However,
when I heard Garrett’s low chuckle, I remembered I wasn’t alone and shut my
mouth again. I hadn’t been this nervous around a guy in so long. But then
again, I hadn’t been alone with a guy in so long.
“I
like your boots,” he said, breaking the ice.
I
glanced at him. Meu Deus, the guy was tall. His hazel eyes fixed on me.
All right. Wasn’t I just complaining that I missed flirting?
“I
like them too,” I said. These weren’t my favorite, but they were close. Seeing
he was wearing cowboy boots, I pointed to his feet. “I like yours too.”
He
glanced down and shrugged. “Are you a real cowgirl, or is it for show?”
I
raised an eyebrow. “Are you a real cowboy, or is it for show?”
“Do
you always answer questions with more questions?”
I
smiled. “Do you?”
His
lopsided grin faded, and the shine behind his eyes darkened. My heart skipped a
beat and I held his stare. I wouldn’t be the one to break this showdown.
“You—”
“There
you are!” Jonah barged in the stand. “Oh, the Brazilian girl.” Really? I
suppressed a groan. “Good to see you again.” He grabbed a beer from one of the
coolers.
“Hey,”
I said, feeling like I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
He
put an arm around Garrett’s shoulders. Garrett had about two inches on him. “I
see you met my bro.”
I
frowned. “Your bro? As in big brother, little brother from the fraternity
thing?”
“No.
Garrett isn’t in the fraternity, not anymore. He’s my half-brother.”
Garrett
took a long swallow of his drink and looked out the window to the front.
About the Author:
New Adult author and contributor at NA Alley blog.
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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