Title: Back in the Rancher’s Arms
Author: Elsie Davis
Genre: Sweet Contemporary Romance
Book Blurb:
Dylan Hunter has always loved the girl next door. Part of loving her meant making sure she left their small town to study to become a veterinarian. He just never expected it to take this long for her to come home. His hands are full raising his younger brother and bringing his ranch through the drought, but one look at Kayla and his feelings are back full force.
Kayla Anderson’s not prepared to see the guy who broke her heart in high school again, but she can’t get out of returning home to be maid of honor at her cousin’s wedding. She’s determined to have fun and celebrate the special day, despite the fact Dylan is her family’s closest neighbor and the best man, and get the heck out of Dodge.
But Dylan already lost the woman he loved once. This time, he’s determined to win her back...
Excerpt:
Kayla listened to the group singing loudly and carrying on without a thought in the world except to have fun. It had been a long time since she’d experienced good old-fashioned country fun. Karaoke in a bar with hundreds of people, most of whom you didn’t know, wasn’t the same.
“By special request, this song is for a special lady tonight.” Dylan let his fingers strum lightly over the strings before launching into the song.
His deep, sexy voice rumbled across the porch and down her spine and then back up, landing somewhere in the vicinity of her heart. He loved to sing as much as she loved to hear his voice. It seemed like only yesterday when she used to follow him around with her schoolgirl crush, hanging on to every word he sang as if he were singing to her and her alone. Back when she’d foolishly believed in happily ever after.
Kayla watched the happy couple dancing together, arm in arm—the world their own in that one special moment. By the second chorus, the group joined in, and Kayla found herself singing along.
The crowd was loud, but not loud enough to drown out someone singing the wrong words. She knew the voice too well not to recognize who changed the lyrics. Blue eyes. He’d sung it wrong on purpose.
Kayla turned to look back at Dylan and found him staring directly at her. She couldn’t do this now. She had to shut him out. She turned back to watch the happy couple as Ethan dipped Sophia low and joined in the laughter.
It was hard not to feast her eyes on him, knowing he was singing the song to her. So far, no one else had noticed, but every word he sang made it harder and harder to ignore him. Harder and harder to fight the memories of the way it used to be between them.
She managed to block out a few lines. Until he slipped the words “tree house” in there. Kayla cringed. How dare he?
There was no mistaking he was singing to her, taunting her with her greatest mistake. Well, she wasn’t about to run. The first time, she’d fled to San Antonio and never looked back, but this time, she wasn’t running. He could sing to the coyotes all night long, it meant nothing to her.
Moments ago, she was happy to join the group, almost like old times. Now she wanted nothing more than for the evening to end.
Loud clapping interrupted her wayward thoughts. She let out the breath she’d been holding. Thank goodness, the song was over.
“For this next one, I hope you will all indulge me a bit here. Ian Tyson’s song isn’t one of the normal ones I play, but one I’d like to do in honor of Kayla coming home.”
No. No. No. No more. He wasn’t playing fair. Kayla sat there speechless, unsure of what to say without sounding ungrateful.
Several people uttered their approval, and Dylan strummed a few chords, easing into the music softly.
The group was silent.
Kayla closed her eyes to fight the tears. Dylan knew exactly what he was doing. The song choice and words told a tale of lost love. It wasn’t fair. He was the one who’d walked away. He was the one who’d left her alone to deal with the bitter pain of rejection. He was the one who’d thrown away every drop of her love with his betrayal.
He’d kicked her out of his life without a second thought. Never once had he tried to contact her.
But she’d survived, and she had a life.
It was asking too much to force her to sit here and listen, but she had no choice. How many others sitting here knew the truth of why he’d chosen this song? Did they all know, or was this her own private misery? She didn’t have the courage to look around at the group who had fallen completely and utterly silent while Dylan sang the heartfelt tune that reached deep into her soul.
The music stopped. Her heart stopped. Kayla opened her eyes and looked at Dylan. Big mistake. No one else existed for the space of what felt like eternity. In reality, it was only seconds.
But it was too late. Nothing could erase the memory of the twist the winding river took all those years ago.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Amazon: http://bit.ly/2GTXIQFBitRAAmazon
Barnes &Noble: http://bit.ly/2Gzho8PBitRABarnesandNoble
BookBub Author Page https://www.bookbub.com/profile/elsie-davis
GoodReads Page http://bit.ly/2HbgbpmBitRAGoodreads
Why is your featured book a must-read?
This country wedding is held in a barn and is the centerstage for Dylan and Kayla to begin the return to their HEA. For anyone who loves cowboys and second-chance romance…this is a fun, sweet HEA romance to warm the heart. (Bonus: Trinity River novels are all stand-alone stories and book 2, Small Town, Big Secrets releases June 8th- so no long wait for the next book!)
Giveaway:
Enter to win an e-book bundle of all 30 books featured in the Celebrate Weddings Bookish Event:
Open Internationally.
Runs June 9 – 12, 2020.
Winner will be drawn on June 19, 2020.
Author Biography:
Elsie Davis discovered the world of Happily-Ever-After romance at the age of twelve and has been hooked ever since. She's a Hallmark Channel movie fan, enjoys reading sweet romance, and loves creating her own fun stories, keeping them appropriate for all ages who love romance...pre-teen to grandparents. A #1 Amazon Best Selling category author, Elsie writes from her heart, hoping to share a little love in a big world. Colossians 3:14 ~And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.~ Sweet and Wholesome Romance by Elsie Davis - amazon.com/author/elsiedavis
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