Riding for Love (A Western Romance)

RIDING FOR LOVE

TINA SUSEDIK

SOUL MATE PUBLISHING

New York

RIDING FOR LOVE

Copyright©2013

TINA SUSEDIK

Cover Design by Ramona Lockwood

This book is a work of fiction.  The names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.  Any resemblance to actual events, business establishments, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the priority written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher.  The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law.  Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

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Published in the United States of America by

Soul Mate Publishing

P.O. Box 24

Macedon, New York, 14502

ISBN: 978-1-61935-
221-6

www.SoulMatePublishing.com

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

To Al,

who always knew this day would come,

even when I didn’t. 

I love you.

Acknowledgements

There are always many people to thank when someone has success. Since I’ve been writing for over twenty years in one form or another, there will be many who I will miss. If you don’t see your name here, thank you anyway.

To Deb Gilbert, Editor of Soul Mate Publishing, for taking a chance on me.

To my son, Rob, and his wife, Chandra, and my daughter, Becca, and her husband, Simon. Thanks for the grandkids. Yes, Becca, it is all right to read books that contain love scenes your mother wrote.

To the gals at the Chippewa Falls Romance Writer’s group. Since 1996, you have been more than fellow writers. You have been supportive, helpful, knowledgeable, and most of all my dear, dear friends: Peg, Deb, Maureen, Beth, Wanda, Jean, and Maigan.

To my brother, Bill, who, when I told him I was getting a romance published, immediately had me on the NYT Best Seller’s list and the book made into a movie.

To Jan, a friend for life.

Chapter 1

“Put it on my bill,” Eve Dayton called over her shoulder as she ran out of the vet’s office, a bottle of medicine grasped in one hand, hugged to her chest. She ignored the tinkling bell over the door, squinted against the bright spring sun, pulled her baseball hat low over her eyes and headed to her truck.

An old pickup, its body more rust than blue, was parked halfway up the block in her northern Wisconsin hometown. Finding a spot in front of the office had been too much to ask on a day determined to be one of her worst in recent memory. She rushed down the sidewalk, eyes planted firmly on her vehicle, praying it would start on the first try. With worry over the health of her favorite horse, Tilly, Eve hadn’t taken the time to get her newer Jeep out of the garage, a decision that might easily mean the life of her mare and the mare’s unborn offspring.

With thoughts only on getting the medicine back to her ranch, Eve rushed past stores, barely registering people and activities around her. She yanked open the truck and placed the container on the cracked seat, slid behind the steering wheel, and slammed the door shut. The worn metal groaned, hit the doorjamb, then bounced open.

“Damn!” she yelled at the windshield. After a third try and a pinched finger, the door’s latch finally connected with the lock and stayed in place. She jammed the keys into the ignition, pressed the gas pedal to the floor, and turned the key.

“C’mon, baby, start for Mama.”

The engine sputtered, hiccupped, whined, and died. Eve took a slow breath and gently patted the dashboard, hoping a little loving would bring life to the ancient hunk of metal. She repeated the process. Nothing. Eve slammed her fist against the steering wheel.

“C’mon, you old piece of shit,” she grumbled, once again turning the key.

Like a dragon rising from a deep sleep, the truck groaned, spit, rattled its chains, and fired to life.

“Yes!” Eve hissed, jerking the gearshift into ‘drive’. The truck jerked backward and abruptly stopped.

Glass tinkled and metal rattled as a bumper dropped to the pavement behind her. She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against the steering wheel. A bad day had just become worse.

Denton Johanson swung his head toward the sound of metal hitting metal and peered through the smoky glass of the large restaurant window. A woman stepped out of a beat-up old truck, a baseball hat slung low over her face, hiding her features. Something about the way she moved sent bells ringing in his memory bank. Denton put an uneaten fry on his plate as the whispered exclamations of those around him reached his ears.

“Didn’t even look.”

“Slammed right into the car parked behind her.”

“Not surprising. Always in a hurry. Boy, the owner of the red SUV is gonna be pissed.”

“Yeah, looks brand new to me.”

SUV? New?
Denton hoped more people in this town owned a new SUV, but in a town with a population of 800, the chances were pretty slim. Barely registering the voices still going on about the crash and those recognizing him and saying hello, he stood, placed some bills on the table and went outside.

He shielded his eyes from the glaring noonday sun. Like flies on flypaper, the rear bumper of the pick-up stuck firmly to the front bumper of his vehicle. He crossed the street in long strides, slipped out his cell phone and punched in 911, watching the perpetrator attempt to dislodge the cars.

Eve put her right foot on the back fender of her truck and pressed down, hoping to disconnect the two vehicles. After getting it loose, she would leave a note for the owner for insurance purposes. Her old truck wasn’t worth anything, but the other one seemed new. Now, on top of everything else happening at the ranch, her rates were bound to go up.

Bracing her hands on each vehicle, she placed her other foot on the fender and jumped. Not so much as a squeak of separation. Her head barely reached the top of the door of the SUV, and not for the first time in her life did she wish to be taller. She swung out one leg to give the bumpers a good kick.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” a man’s voice called out.

“Shit, busted,” Eve muttered
.
She jumped down from the fenders and headed for the driver’s side of her truck.

“Leaving the scene of an accident is a felony,” he said. “I’ve already called 911.”

Eve stopped. That voice. She’d never forgotten its deep timber. Denton Johanson, a man who’d haunted her dreams for more years than she wished to count. What the hell was he doing back here? Why, oh why, did it have to be his vehicle and why today when she needed to return to the ranch before her mare died? The question now was how to get out of here without his recognizing her. Eve slid the brim of her hat lower.

“I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean for this to happen,” she said, keeping her eyes down on her dirty boots, and lowering her voice. “I put the truck in ‘drive’ and it jerked backward. I hate this piece of junk.”

“I bet,” he said.

“Honestly.” Her voice rose. “Sometimes this thing has a mind of its own.”

She saw Denton’s frown. Did he recognize her even though he still hadn’t seen her face? Hopefully her slight height and build and her baggy flannel shirt, jeans, and work boots disguised her. Except for the dark ponytail showing through the hole in the back of her hat, she knew she could pass for a young man.

Eve moved toward her truck.

“I advise staying put. The authorities should be here soon.”

Eve held back a snort. Authorities? Did he think he still lived in California? Who knew where the county sheriff, the only authority in the area, was at this time of the day. Getting back to the ranch with the medicine was imperative. Max, her veterinarian, probably wondered why she’d been gone so long.

She had two choices. Give Denton her insurance information and have him recognize her, or takeoff and be ticketed for leaving the scene of an accident.

What would Denton do if he did recognize her? Laugh? Shake her hand? Forget she banged up his vehicle? Get down on his knees and ask forgiveness for what he did ten years ago? Grab her by the shoulders, press her to his chest, and kiss her senseless?

Eve turned her back on him, hoping to hide the sweep of blush she felt creeping across her face. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t thought about him every day, because she had. But to see him again? He’d walked out of her life, which suited her just fine.

Irritation built up in her until she thought she would explode. Here she was, dressed in barn clothes, probably smelling like manure. And there he was, talking on his cell phone, looking like a fashion model straight out of Hollywood. He seemed taller than the six feet she remembered. Thick, dark brown hair curled around his ears and fell over his forehead. Rolled up sleeves revealed muscular forearms covered with the same colored hair.

Still talking on the phone, he turned, glanced at her, frowned, and raked fingers through his hair, obviously frustrated. She understood the feeling.

This is disgusting, she thought, eyeing his body from the top of his dark hair to the bottom of his fancy shoes. Like most men in town, ten years should have put a bit of fat on him. Instead, no double chin. No rolls on his neck. No flab hanging over his belt. No gray hair. Eve continued her perusal further south and imagined
that
part of his anatomy as prime as the rest of him.

She shivered. Why couldn’t he be a bit decrepit? The last thing she wanted in her life was to be all hot and bothered over a man, any man, especially Denton Johanson. There were too many unexplained things going on at the ranch right now. She needed to get him moving then hit the road to the ranch. He snapped his phone shut.

Eve approached his vehicle. “Excuse me, sir. Can we just exchange insurance cards and separate our trucks? I really need to leave.”

He leaned against his SUV, crossed his arms over his chest, and gave her a casual once-over. She wanted to smack him.

“We wait for the police.”

“Sir, I need to get some medicine home immediately. I’ll call the sheriff later.”

Denton leaned down to peer under her hat. “Do I know you?”

She backed away and lowered her chin. “I don’t think so, sir. Please let me leave.”

Sheriff Dan Greenwald arrived in his squad car before Denton answered. After slapping on his hat, he approached them and stopped short. “Well, I’ll be damned! Denton Johanson.”

Eve watched the two do their convoluted, high school football handshake, the one they’d done before each game.

“Dan, you old son-of-a-bitch! You’re the sheriff?”

“You bet. Of the entire county.” Dan tipped his hat back on his head. “Can you believe it? After all the things we got away with?”

“Man, we used to laugh our asses off when old Sheriff Johnson couldn’t get the goods on us.”

“Yeah, payback’s a bitch,” the sheriff said, then laughed.

Denton and Dan leaned against Denton’s vehicle looking as if they were going to reminisce all day.

Dan slapped Denton on the shoulder. “Hey, remember the time you and me and Jimmy and a couple of other guys went to the gravel pit and . . .”

“Ahem, gentlemen. Could we please stop with the good-ol’ boy stories and get on with this mess? I need to get going.”

Dan glanced at her, the vehicles attached at the bumper, and turned into a stone-faced officer of the law. “Oh, sure, Eve.” He retrieved a small notebook and flipped it open. A shortened pencil came next. “So, what happened here, Denton, Eve?” He chuckled and shook his head. “Man, those are two names I haven’t heard together in ages.”

Eve cringed. She peeked up from under the brim of her hat.

Denton quickly turned his gaze in her direction. “Eve? Eve Dayton? My Eve?” He took a step toward her.

She stepped back and slammed her fists on her hips. “I’m not your Eve. Could we please get the show on the road here? Max is waiting for me. Hopefully Tilly is still all right.”

“Something wrong with her?” Dan asked.

“She’s having some trouble foaling and Max is afraid she has an infection.” She faced Denton. “So let’s pull these fenders apart and deal with this later. Please?”

“I suppose that would be fine,” Dan said. “After all, I know where you live, and I don’t think Dent will take off any time soon. Okay with you?” he asked, nodding at Denton.

Denton tore his gaze from her face and glanced down at his shoes. “Sure. Fine.”

With the help of a few gawkers, the fenders were quickly disengaged. Eve tossed her fender into the bed of the truck and wiped off her hands. “Thanks, Dan. Call me for my insurance info.”

“That’s all right, Eve,” Denton said. “Give me your phone number so I can contact you”

She glanced over her shoulder as she yanked the driver’s door open. “Not a chance in hell, Denton. Call Dan.” She nearly whooped when the vehicle started the first time, and without a second glance at the men, put the truck in gear and headed down the street.

Denton put his hands in his pockets. “Was that really Eve Dayton, or am I hallucinating?”

Dan laughed. “Just like the old days, huh? Eve crashing into your life like that.”

Denton grimaced and rubbed his chest with the flat of his hand. “At least things turned out better the last time, until I screwed things up.”

“I heard something about that, but, hell, who even cares anymore?”

“I guess she does, or she would have given me her phone number.”

“No love lost, huh?”

Denton shook his head at his old friend. “Nope.”

“In more ways than one, from what I remember.”

He took out his driver’s license and insurance card and watched an older woman coming toward hem. “Here comes my mother.” He chuckled. “Guess she’ll have a few things to say.”

Dan leaned on the hood of Denton’s car and copied the information into his notebook. Without glancing up he said, “Sure will. She was about the only person in this town who remained friends with Eve. Most people figured you dumped her like last week’s garbage.” He handed Denton’s cards back to him. “Poor kid. I always liked Eve. Thought she got a bum rap from her old man, but you know how it is in high school. You’re so wrapped up in your own life you don’t pay any attention to what’s going on around you.”

Denton took his eyes off his mother and followed Eve’s beat-up truck as it rounded the corner and out of sight. He mentally sighed. He’d always wondered what it would be like if he ever saw her again. He figured it would happen sooner or later once he moved back, but never thought his heart would beat so hard everyone probably heard it. He shook his head to stop the blood roaring in his ears.

“Yeah, I know what you mean, but crashing into her back then had turned out to be best thing that ever happened to me.”

“The worst?” Dan asked.

“Messing things up like I did.”

Dan slapped Denton on his back. “Aw c’mon, Dent. With your suave and sophisticated good looks and, of course, a lot of hard work, you might get her back.”

The skin between his eyes creased. “I didn’t come back to win over Eve Dayton, but to help Mom, but now. . .”

“But now that you’ve seen her, it’s stirred up some old feelings?”

“Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?”

“A guy never forgets his first love. By the way, before you think about starting anything here,” Dan said, peering into Denton’s face, “you are divorced, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am.”