Lovers at Heart (36 page)
Authors: Melissa Foster
“Can you help me get him out of here?” Up close, his muscles were even larger, more defined, than she’d thought. His neck thicker, everything about him exuded masculinity. She crossed her arms to settle her nerves as he waited a beat too long to answer. “Listen, if you can’t—”
“Don’t get your panties in a bunch,” he said, calm and even.
“You don’t have to be rude.”
“I don’t have to help at all,” he said, mimicking her by crossing his arms.
“Fine. You’re right. Sorry. Can you please help me get him out of here? He can’t make it up that hill.”
“Just how do you suppose I do that?” He glanced at the steep drop of the land just twenty feet ahead of them, then back up the ravine at the rocky shoreline. “You shouldn’t’ve brought him down here. Why are you riding a stallion, anyway? They’re temperamental as hell. What were you thinking? A girl like you can’t handle that horse on this type of terrain.”
“A girl like me? I’ll have you know that I’m a vet, and I’ve worked around horses my whole life.” She felt her cheeks redden and crossed her arms, jutting her hip out in the defiant stance she’d taken throughout her teenage years.
“So I hear.” He lowered his chin and lifted his gaze, looking at her from beneath the shadow of his Stetson. “From the looks of it, all that vet schooling didn’t do you much good, now, did it?”
Ugh!
He was maddening. Jade pursed her lips and stalked away in a huff. “Forget it. I can do this by myself.”
“Sure you can,” he mused.
She felt his eyes on her back as she took Flame’s reins and tried to lead him up the steep incline. The enormous horse took only three steps before stopping cold. She grunted and groaned, pleading with the horse to move, but Flame was hurt, and he’d gone stubborn on her. Her face heated to a flush.
“You keep doing what you’re doing. I’ll be back in an hour to get you and that lame horse of yours.”
An hour, great
. She was aching to tell him to hurry, but she knew how long it took to hook up the horse trailer, and she had no idea how he’d get it all the way down by the ravine. She watched him ride away, feeling stupid, embarrassed, angry, and insanely attracted to the ornery jerk of a man.
(End of Sneak Peek)
To continue reading, be sure to pick up the next
LOVE IN BLOOM release:
DESTINED FOR LOVE,
The Bradens
, Book Two
Love in Bloom Series,
Book Five
“Contemporary romance at its hottest.
Each Braden sibling left me craving the next.
Sensual, sexy, and satisfying."
—
Bestselling author, Keri Nola, Psychotherapist
(on THE BRADENS)
LOVE IN BLOOM is a nine-book series
Check online retailers for availability
SNOW SISTERS
Sisters in Love
Sisters in Bloom
Sisters in White
THE BRADENS
Lovers at Heart
Destined for Love
Friendship on Fire
Sea of Love
Bursting with Love
Hearts at Play
Acknowledgments
There are so many people to thank for helping me bring this book to readers. There’s a community of bloggers, reviewers, authors, readers, and friends that each deserve to be listed here, but I simply don’t have space. My sincere gratitude goes out to everyone who has inspired, helped, and encouraged me though this exciting journey. I hope we can continue to inspire each other. Thank you all so very much.
My dedicated and efficient editors and proofreaders deserve a chocolate sculpture ten feet high for their energy and skills. Thank you Kristen Weber, Penina Lopez, Jenna Bagnini, Colleen Albert, Juliette Hill, and Marlene Engel. I’m so lucky to have you on my team. My beautiful cover was designed by Natasha Brown and formatting was handled by Rachelle Ayala. Thank you both for all you have done and continue to do for me.
Stacy Eaton, Amy Manemann, Emerald Barnes, Wendy Young, Christine Cunningham, Rachelle Ayala, Natasha Brown, Bonnie Trachtenberg, G.E. Johnson, and Kathleen Shoop—you are the best friends a person could hope for and I treasure every moment of our laughter, whining, wining **wink wink**, and trouble-making time together—virtual and otherwise. Sisters at heart…forever.
Thank you to each of my Team Pay-it-Forward community who have become like family. You’re all so special to me and I am proud to be among your friends.
The name “Braden” was a gift from my good friend Russell Blake. Thank you for giving a name to the men in my head and then pushing me to make them ever bigger than life. I hope my readers will jump the fence and pick up your thrillers.
My writing life would not exist if not for the support and understanding of my mother, my husband, and my children. You rock my world and I love you all.
Melissa Foster is an award-winning, International bestselling author. Her books have been recommended by USA Today's book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the
Women’s Nest
, a social and support community for women, and the
World Literary Café
. When she's not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on
Fostering Success
. Melissa hosts Aspiring Authors contests for children, and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC.
Visit Melissa on her
website
, or chat with her on
The Women's Nest
or social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.
Melissa’s books are available at most online retailers.