“Oh, I’ll be here.” Jillian’s eyes surfed the faces of the crowd. “I never knew Oak Falls had so many hot cowboys.”
“According to Trixie, you have plenty of hot guys in Pleasant Hill,” Brindle said, looking at Trixie, who was now being glowered at by her brothers. They must have seen her ogling Nick.
“Yeah, well, dating is easier without Mr. Biceps over there hulking around.” Jillian pointed over her shoulder to Nick.
“Stick with us. We’ll hook you up,” Morgyn said. “Amber, too. She needs a man in her life.”
“I’m good,” Amber said. “I have so much going on with my bookstore. I have no time for a man. I’m setting up a bunch of signings for the year.”
“Oh, honey.” Jillian put her arm around Amber’s shoulder and said, “We need to talk about priorities.” She guided Amber away.
Brindle spotted Trace and Graham heading their way. Love and desire swam in Trace’s dark eyes as he closed the distance between them. “Look at them, Morgyn. Are we lucky or what?”
“We’re lucky, but you know luck has nothing to do with it, right?” Morgyn said. “Our stars aligned, and we were fated to fall in love when we did.”
Brindle didn’t know about fate, but whatever had brought them together at the exact moment in time when they were both ready to make the changes they needed to in order to truly let each other in was bigger than both of them. It was an unstoppable force that had propelled their love to new heights and permeated every aspect of their lives.
Trace put his arm around Brindle and kissed her temple. “Hello, my beautiful wife.”
“I still can’t believe your beautiful wife didn’t let Lindsay throw her a quick bridal shower,” Morgyn said as Graham took her hand.
Brindle gazed up at her man and said, “I can’t imagine what anyone could give me that would be better than what I already have.”
“WOULD YOU MIND if I stole Mustang away for a dance?” Trace asked.
“Only if you tell me why you call her that,” Morgyn said.
“Sorry, babe, not a chance.” Trace led Brindle to the dance floor and drew her into his arms. “How’s my girl?” He kissed the tender skin beside her ear and said, “Mm. I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.” She ran her finger down the center of his open dress shirt and said, “But now that Morgyn brought it up, I’m curious. Why do you call me Mustang?”
“Do you really want to know?”
“I want to know everything about you and about us, so yes.”
“Okay, darlin’, but it’s probably not the reason you or anyone else thinks. I would imagine people think it’s because you’re wild.” As they swayed to the music, their bodies pressed tightly together. “But there’s a lot more to it than that. Mustangs aren’t wild horses. They’re descended from once-domesticated horses, so they’re feral, free-roaming horses, and they think they’re happiest without any hindrances on their independence.”
“That sounds like me,” she said sweetly.
“You have no idea how true that is. You see, mustangs are the hardest horse to befriend because they’re stubborn, and they’re super smart. They have to be, to survive in the wild. In the mustang world, we’re predators, and predators are negative forces. They don’t understand why we would try to reach out and bring them into a quieter space. They have to learn to trust, which can take a really long time and a vast amount of tact and patience. They can’t be forced into submission. In order to gain their trust, you have to know when to back off and when to hold a little tighter. Once they realize you’re trying to communicate, not overtake, they eventually learn to see you differently. There’s still a long road ahead where we stand on the cusp between rejection and acceptance. But once a mustang chooses to trust you, when they choose to let you in, they’re the most devoted horse of them all. However, even that comes at a price. You see, my beautiful wife”—he gazed into her loving eyes—“Mustangs are always partners, not just simple rides. They expect more out of their people than other horses do. But when they let you in, when you’ve earned their devotion, it will never be broken, unless you turn on them. They’re the most loyal horses you’ll ever find. They’d give you their dying breath.”
“That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard,” she said dreamily, and just as quickly, her eyes darkened. “I probably shouldn’t tell you why I call you cowboy, because it’s not nearly as romantic.”
He chuckled, holding her tighter. “Does it have something to do with the way I ride you?”
“Possibly…” She trailed her hand down his arm and took his fingers in hers. “Come with me and I’ll show you.” She led him off the dance floor with a seductive glimmer in her eyes, glancing around the room as she headed for the barn doors.
“You need a coat,” Trace said.
She shushed him with a finger to his lips as she stepped out into the snow, and there by the entrance was their horse-drawn carriage, decorated with holly and silver and gold tinsel. A banner hung across the back proclaiming them JUST MARRIED.
“Get in,” she said excitedly, quickly untying the horses from a post. As she climbed in, he put his hands on her butt, giving her a boost. She scooted over to the driver’s seat and said, “Hurry, before our families or friends notice we’re escaping!”
He climbed in, and before he even sat down, she flicked the reins and the horses trotted away. Her unabashed, contagious laughter and smile lit up the night sky as he sank down beside her.
“I can’t wait to ring in the New Year as husband and wife!” she said loudly as they raced along the snow-covered ground toward the barn on the back of his parents’ property, where they used to sneak up to the hayloft when they were younger.
With his arm around her, he said, “Only you, Brindle Jericho, would have the guts to sneak out of your own wedding.”
Her eyes shimmered in the moonlight, and snow wetted her cheeks as she said, “Not true, cowboy. I’ve got the perfect partner for a lifetime of shenanigans. Do you think I’m crazy?”
“I think you’re feral and fantastic!”
“Hell yes, you’re crazy! Stop! You stole our carriage!” Her mother’s voice came from behind them, and they both spun around. Brindle’s parents sat in the carriage, hair tousled, clothes disheveled, and their cheeks flushed. Her mother’s lipstick was smeared over their mouths.
“Aw, heck. Just keep driving,” her father said as he pulled his wife back down to the bench and out of sight, their laughter silenced by their kisses.
Trace and Brindle burst into laughter, and Brindle said, “I don’t want to know what’s going on back there, but we’ve got dibs on the hayloft!”
Ready for your next Bradens & Montgomerys love story?
Fall in love with Graham Braden’s brilliant and sexy business partner, Knox Bentley, and the Montgomerys’ favorite female billionaire, LWW founder, Aubrey Stewart, in their hilarious and sensual love story, Making You Mine.
Knox Bentley never liked like the pomp and circumstance that came with being wealthy. He’d distanced himself from his pretentious family and their fortune as a young adult and found his own path to success. But even with the world at his fingertips, he realizes something is missing, and after a long stay overseas, he finally knows exactly what it is. His no-strings-attached hookups with Aubrey Stewart, an exquisite and stubbornly independent blonde, are no longer enough for him. They connect on every level, but Aubrey is a fierce businesswoman with a new movie channel on the horizon and no time for much else. She is the deal he can’t close, the precious jewel even his billions can’t buy. Now that he’s back in the States, he’s determined to show her that what they have goes beyond the bedroom and finally make her his.
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Have you read the hilarious Seaside Summers series?
Seaside Summers features a group of fun, sexy, and emotional friends who gather each summer at their Cape Cod cottages. They’re funny and flawed, and they will have you begging to enter thei
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Have you met the Bradens at Weston?
Treat and Max’s story started the Love in Bloom sensation. Discover the magic of the fiercely loyal and wickedly naughty Bradens at Weston and see why millions of readers have fallen in love with these sexy billionaires!
Treat Braden wasn’t looking for love when Max Armstrong walked into his Nassau resort, but he saw right through the efficient and capable facade she wore like a shield to the sweet, sensual woman beneath. One magnificent evening together sparked an intense connection, and for the first time in his life Treat wanted more than a casual affair. But something caused Max to turn away, and now, after weeks of unanswered phone calls and longing for the one woman he cannot have, Treat is going back to his family’s ranch to try to finally move on.
A chance encounter brings Treat and Max together again, and it turns into a night of intense passion and honesty. When Max reveals her secret, painful past, Treat vows to do everything within his power to win Max’s heart forever—including helping her finally face her demons head-on.
Buy LOVERS AT HEART, REIMAGINED
New to the Love in Bloom series?
I hope you have enjoyed getting to know the Bradens and Montgomerys. If this is your first Love in Bloom book, you have many more love stories featuring loyal, sassy, and sexy heroes and heroines waiting for you. The Bradens & Montgomerys (Pleasant Hill – Oak Falls) is just one of the series in the Love in Bloom big-family romance collection. Each Love in Bloom book is written to be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel or as part of the larger series. Characters from each series make appearances in future books, so you never miss an engagement, wedding, or birth. Visit my website for more information on Love in Bloom titles.
www.MelissaFoster.com
Download free first-in-series ebooks and see current sales here:
www.MelissaFoster.com/LIBFree
Visit the Love in Bloom Reader Goodies page for free ebooks, downloadable checklists, family trees, and more!
www.MelissaFoster.com/RG
More Books By Melissa Foster
Love in Bloom Romance Collection
LOVE IN BLOOM SERIES order
Love in Bloom books may be read as stand alones. For more enjoyment, read them in series order. Characters from each series carry forward to the next.
SNOW SISTERS
Sisters in Love
Sisters in Bloom
Sisters in White
THE BRADENS (Weston, CO)
Lovers at Heart, Reimagined
Destined for Love
Friendship on Fire
Sea of Love
Bursting with Love
Hearts at Play
THE BRADENS (Trusty, CO)
Taken by Love
Fated for Love
Romancing My Love
Flirting with Love
Dreaming of Love
Crashing into Love
THE BRADENS (Peaceful Harbor, MD)
Healed by Love
Surrender My Love
River of Love
Crushing on Love
Whisper of Love
Thrill of Love
THE BRADENS & MONTGOMERYS (Pleasant Hill – Oak Falls)
Embracing Her Heart
Anything for Love
Trails of Love
Wild, Crazy Hearts
Making You Mine
BRADEN WORLD NOVELLAS
Daring Her Love
Promise My Love
Our New Love
Story of Love
Love at Last
THE REMINGTONS
Game of Love
Stroke of Love
Flames of Love
Slope of Love
Read, Write, Love
Touched by Love
SEASIDE SUMMERS
Seaside Dreams
Seaside Hearts
Seaside Sunsets
Seaside Secrets
Seaside Nights
Seaside Embrace
Seaside Lovers
Seaside Whispers
BAYSIDE SUMMERS
Bayside Desires
Bayside Passions
Bayside Heat
Bayside Escape
Bayside Romance
THE RYDERS
Seized by Love
Claimed by Love
Chased by Love
Rescued by Love
Swept Into Love
TRU BLUE & THE WHISKEYS
Tru Blue (Set in Peaceful Harbor)
Truly, Madly, Whiskey
Driving Whiskey Wild
Wicked Whiskey Love
Mad About Moon
Taming My Whiskey
SUGAR LAKE
The Real Thing
Only for You
Love Like Ours
Finding My Girl
HARMONY POINTE
Call Her Mine
WILD BOYS (Billionaires After Dark)
Logan
Heath
Jackson
Cooper
BAD BOYS (Billionaires After Dark)
Mick
Dylan
Carson
Brett
HARBORSIDE NIGHTS
Includes characters from the Love in Bloom series
Catching Cassidy
Discovering Delilah
Tempting Tristan
Standalone Books by Melissa
Chasing Amanda (mystery/suspense)
Come Back to Me (mystery/suspense)
Have No Shame (historical fiction/romance)
Love, Lies & Mystery (3-book bundle)
Megan’s Way (literary fiction)
Traces of Kara (psychological thriller)
Where Petals Fall (suspense)
Acknowledgments
I hope you enjoyed Trace and Brindle’s story and are looking forward to reading about the rest of their siblings and friends. You can start with the first book in the series, EMBRACING HER HEART, Grace and Reed’s love story.
If you haven’t yet joined my fan club on Facebook, please do. We have a great time chatting about our hunky heroes and sassy heroines. You never know when you’ll inspire a story or a character and end up in one of my books, as several fan club members have already discovered.
www.Facebook.com/groups/MelissaFosterFans
Remember to like and follow my Facebook fan page to stay abreast of what’s going on in our fictional boyfriends’ worlds.
www.Facebook.com/MelissaFosterAuthor
Sign up for my newsletter to keep up to date with new releases and special promotions and events and to receive an exclusive short story featuring Jack Remington and Savannah Braden.
www.MelissaFoster.com/Newsletter
And don’t forget to download your free reader goodies! For free family trees, publication schedules, series checklists, and more, please visit the special Reader Goodies page that I’ve set up for you!
www.MelissaFoster.com/Reader-Goodies
As always, loads of gratitude to my amazing team of editors and proofreaders: Kristen Weber, Penina Lopez, Elaini Caruso, Juliette Hill, Marlene Engel, Lynn Mullan, and Justinn Harrison. And, of course, I am forever grateful to my husband, Les, and the rest of my family, who allow me to talk about my fictional worlds as if we live in them.
Meet Melissa
www.MelissaFoster.com
Melissa Foster is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. Melissa has painted and donated several murals to the Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC.
Visit Melissa on her website or chat with her on social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups and welcomes an invitation to your event. Melissa’s books are ava
ilable through most online retailers in paperback, digital, and audio formats.
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