Title: Sheltering His Second Chance
Author: Rhonda Lee Carver
Genre: Contemporary Western Romance
Book Blurb:
A cowboy and a city girl…and an unforgettable love affair. Parker Manley is at risk of losing her job in Chicago, so she’s sent to Montana to breathe life into a failing Floral Shop. A rock bottom business isn’t the only thing she finds in Second Chance. A sexy, rugged, cocky cowboy will have her resuscitating those parts of her which have been neglected since her divorce. She didn’t realize how lonely she’s been until Raven Ryder. A whirlwind affair never hurt anyone, right? Unless the heart is involved. Big-city girls have never been Raven’s type, but when Parker strolls into town in her impractical heels and high-maintenance attitude, and a sadness in her eyes, he wants to help her. Maybe even forgive the fact that she likes gourmet coffee, fancy restaurants, and getting all dressed up to attend the opera. As things heat up, truths and lies start to unravel. Parker will innocently find herself in the path of someone who has been terrorizing the community. Raven realizes he’s fallen for the city girl and will protect her at all costs, even if that means it’ll break his heart in the end.
Excerpt:
“Chow! Come back here!”
Parker heard the command followed by a swishing sound of paws. They were coming fast upon her. Curious, she swiveled and her mouth fell open. A wolf was charging straight for her. Frozen on the sidewalk, she couldn’t run, or scream, and the only thing that manifested was a whimper.
The wolf continued to eat up the space between them.
She caught a flash of a man running a few steps behind as if he could possibly catch the wild beast.
Chow, as she heard the man call the wolf, put on the brakes, but because he was as big as a car, he couldn’t come to a complete stop. He jumped up, planted both feet on her shoulders, and she lost her balance. Finally, a scream wafted off her parted lips. She fell onto her back and a second later ice-cold liquid seeped into her white silk blouse and dampened her skin.
If she wasn’t humiliated enough, the misbehaving wolf licked her with his large, wet tongue from chin to forehead.
“Ahh, damn!” came a husky voice.
Suddenly, the weight came off her and she stared into the bluest eyes.
“Here. Let me help you.”
Before she could offer him a peep of resistance, he easily lifted her to her feet, but kept his grip on her elbow and waist as if he wasn’t sure she could stand on her own. Out of her peripheral, she saw the wolf, his tongue lopping out one side of his mouth and his tail swishing proudly through the air. Anger and fear sparked through her. “Get that wolf before he kills me!”
The man finally let go of her and took a wide step backward. She caught a better look of him. He wore a cowboy hat and stood much taller than her. Maybe six-five at least? Had she left reality and found herself in a world of giants who had wolves for pets? Maybe she’d hit her head when she’d fallen?
Then the cowboy smiled and the gesture ripped through her. Did he find this funny?
Parker moaned. Her white shirt was covered in brown stain. Ruined. The plastic cups she held were crushed. And so were the chances of her having a pleasant day.
“Chow! What did you do?” The cowboy scolded the wolf that didn’t seem the least bit remorseful.
Turning back to the man, she followed the long journey upward from glistening silver buckle, flat stomach, wide chest, broad shoulders, to his face. He had to be at least mid-thirty so he knew better than to not control his pet.
Standing there in a sticky mess, she couldn’t quite decide if she should unleash on him or cry.
He stared back at her and luckily she wore sunglasses because she was close to crying. She didn’t want to be here. She was forced to come and in less than five minutes she’d been attacked and humiliated by a wolf and a cowboy. The teasing quality of his grin made her skin burn.
“I’m sorry. I just rescued—”
“Isn’t it illegal to have a wolf in public?” She groaned.
The cowboy scraped his nails over his silver-streaked whiskers. “Wolf? He’s not—”
“You obviously can’t control the beast.”
The beast, as she called him, whimpered and stretched out onto his stomach.
“He’s a dog, ma’am.”
She snorted. “That is not a dog! And you’re not very smart. There are laws against allowing pets to run free without a leash.” The stress had finally gotten to her. Like a tightly wound ball of yarn, she came unraveling. She was in a strange town, faced with an endeavor that would take a miracle to fix, with a black cloud looming over her after her ex-husband told her that he and his mistress had eloped. In Vegas of all places! Hurt didn’t begin to describe where she was internally. Her ex could marry the Pope for all she cared, but why did he need to tell her? And why did he need to inform her that his mistress—or rather new wife—was pregnant?
She was having a baby…
Something Parker had wanted.
“I’m sure if he could apologize he would,” the cowboy said in a cool tone.
“Save it for someone who cares.” The dog continued to stare up at her with unwavering big brown eyes that softened the blow of what happened—a little at least. He was awfully cute, but his owner was not.
And yet, he was…
A giant of a man with piercing blue eyes and Viking-like features. And a scar on his face, down his neck, disappearing into the neckline of his T-shirt.
He growled and turned slightly so she couldn’t see the old wounds. She hadn’t meant to stare, but she too had similar scarring.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Free to read on Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/426bNjj
What’s your favorite way to combat stress?
I destress by doing mat and aerial silks yoga. And when I’m feeling the blues I’ll put away all work and technology, crawl onto the couch with a blanket and watch semi-old movies that I’ve already watched a dozen times like Leap Year, You’ve Got Mail, and Fatal Attraction. If the movies aren’t enough I’ll binge watch reality shows.
Why is your featured book a stress busting read?
I’m an independent woman who can rescue herself from any situation, but I believe we all want to feel protected, rescued, and saved sometimes. In Sheltering His Second Chance, Parker is strong, self-reliant, and independent, yet she needs to learn vulnerability and open herself up to allowing someone to help her…love her again. It’s a beautiful story of second chances and the empowerment of not being powerful all the time.
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon US or Canada gift card
Open internationally. You must have a valid Amazon US or Amazon CA account to win.
Runs May 1 – 31, 2023.
Drawing will be held on June 1, 2023.
Author Biography:
Rhonda Lee Carver is a bestselling author of contemporary western and romantic suspense, but she loves to write other genres too. She's known for writing stories that keep readers laughing, crying, gripping the edge of their seats, and screaming all in one book...like riding a virtual roller coaster. Whether she's creating sexy cowboys or tough guys, or sassy, independent heroines, readers are sure to find strong, powerful, memorable characters that are relatable.
Writing for Rhonda is like falling in love and finding a new best friend over and over again. Her characters will find a place inside your heart too.
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