Hayley’s father has a gambling problem that’s
now become hers. He lost her in a bet. Now, she must either leave the only
place she’s ever known or marry a man who is only interested in a servant he
can control.
On the run and scared, she finds sanctuary
at a ranch with seven men and one little boy. Though hired as a cook and nanny,
she quickly realizes she’s found a home. With brothers, Ben and Tate, vying for
her affections, Hayley starts to believe she can have a life that
doesn’t involve alcohol, abuse, and gambling. But the winner of the card game
has other plans.
Ed Thompson tracks Hayley down, determined
she’s going to become his wife. But Tate isn’t about to allow that to happen.
He’ll move whatever mountain he has to for Hayley’s safety. And when she’s
kidnapped, he’ll tear the town apart to find her. But Ed has an ace up his
sleeve that could end up getting Hayley killed.
The faded yellow school bus stopped for the last time in front of Haley’s house and honked. The last day of her senior year came as a relief to her. Gummy, the school bus driver, saved a seat for her in the front of the bus where she would be kept safe from the bullies. The bus rattled down the road and the gears groaned. Gummy pushed on the gas, passing a slow truck with Apaches piled in the back, and waved. He was the exact opposite of the locals’ opinion of an Apache in every way, and to Haley he represented the male gender’s only saving grace. His industrious nature and value for work came at a high price, toiling from sun up to sun down. He ran a laundromat downtown and worked at the school as a bus driver and janitor to support his large family. Things were tight, but he made things stretch farther than anyone Haley had ever met.
Even Gummy’s youngest boy, Johnny, wore flour sacks repurposed into shorts for the summer. Nothing wasted. “Hey, Haley!” the toe-head four year old happily greeted her as he sat on the top step in the bus. The busy skinny child wiggled. “Poppa says I get a nickel if I can go the whole morning without getting into trouble!” Momma had always said that the friskiest colts make the best racehorses. Haley could see Johnny growing up to be like Gummy –industrious, honest and kind. Haley sat on the bench behind Gummy. He noisily chomped his gum.
About
The Author
Jennifer
has a brain that is never quiet (even in her sleep), she uses writing as an
escape to be and do anything she can create. Plotting is her favorite thing to
do in her down time. Raised in southern Arizona, she was influenced by being
raised a cop’s daughter (plenty of teenage angst material there), Mexican food,
and the old West. She is a busy mother to three rambunctious boys, married to
her amazing cowboy, a full-time nursing student, and desperately needs a long
vacation. Her biggest fear in life is to be completely mediocre.
Author Social Media links
Facebook: Author Jennifer Bryce
BlogSpot: jenniferbryce.blogspot.com
Twitter: @JenniferBryce1
No comments:
Post a Comment