Desperate to find her place in the world, Sara Beth dreams of applying for the Miss Wrangler Montana competition that tours with the rodeo circuit.Riding horses has become her anchor until a near fatal accident takes more from her than she’d ever willingly sacrifice.Determined to prove his business training, Johnny seeks out the Rourke family to call in an old favor. When he embroils himself in Sara Beth’s life, he has to prove they’re nothing more than friends.
Seeking independence, both Sara Beth and Johnny lean on each other more and more, until love threatens their friendship. Will they seek out each other or be confused by their dreams?
Can either of them leave their past and embrace their future?
Riding for Redemption Excerpt
The courage to wheel down that ramp and across the drive to the barn almost tapped Sara Beth out. No, she wasn’t weakened physically by it. Emotionally… well, that was a different story.
Since talking with Rosie, Sara Beth finally understood that she needed Johnny. She didn’t have any friends and he made her feel… like she could love herself again. Even while she saw herself as broken and without value, Johnny didn’t seem to notice the legs or even the weakened forearms. He held her hand or spoke to her like she could irritate him with just a glance – giving no pardon to her because of her disability.
A dip between the paved drive and the cement jammed her front wheel. She rocked back and forth to dislodge it. But nothing. She threw her head back and closed her eyes. Come on. Not right now. It was hard enough to make it that far.
Maybe if she tried rolling the larger wheels back and forth while moving her body, she might be able to dislodge the tires. That might work. She thrust her chest forward and then pushed on the wheels and heaved back at the same time.
Too much force toppled her backwards and the chair upended – with the stupid wheels still stuck.
“Oomph.” The air knocked out of Sara Beth and she gasped for a moment, clutching at the sore spot on the back of her head. Clinging to the wheel rims had saved her a worse fall, but how did she get out of where she’d fallen? She’d end up in some horrible fallen-and-can’t-get-up infomercial. Crud, what did she do?
Ego beaten and left for dead, she leaned up on her elbows and pulled until her legs dislodged from the seat, coming to flop beside the wheels. She glared at the worthless limbs. Oh, how she wanted to cut them off sometimes.
Other times she wanted to… walk.
“What am I doing?” She whispered to the grass and her lifeless lower limbs. Everything was turned upside down and not just literally.
How was she going to get back inside? What did she do? Scream?
Considering the open options and short of just standing and walking the heck out of there, Sara sneered at what she had to do. She inhaled deep and hollered loud. “Help! Can someone help?” Heat flooded her face and she hoped Michael came running, or even one of the older ranch
hands. Not Johnny. Please, not Johnny.
Bonnie R. Paulson mixes her science and medical background with reality and possibilities to make even myths seem likely and give every romance the genetic strength to survive. Bonnie has discovered a dark and twisty turn in her writing that she hopes you enjoy as much as she has enjoyed uncovering it. Dirt biking with her family in the Northwest keeps her sane.
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