—USA Today
One girl. Two horses. And a past itching to catch up. . . .
Fourteen-year-old, Colorado
juvenile delinquent Mackenzie Lynn Stonebreaker doesn’t do horses. But the
volunteer gig at Hunter’s Moon Ranch has its perks. With cold, hard cash she
lifts from its boarding fund, Mac’s poised for escape to search for her birth
mom when an Arabian mare named Bella is viciously struck by a shotgun blast.
Alive and talking—well, telepathically only to Mac—the horse begs for her help.
Dodging a return trip to juvie, thanks to the ranch owner’s partner Dr. Rachel Hunter, Mac is now in the pediatrician’s custody and living a life she could only dream. With newfound friendships, the gift of gab with two quirky horses, her first kiss, and a chance at that family she’s always wanted, she can’t quite let go of one thing.
Abandoned and unloved by her mother, Mac wants to know why. But sleuthing for answers puts Mac on a collision course with the past—one that will shatter everything she believes in about herself and those she’s come to love and trust at Hunter’s Moon.
Mac just may find that what she’s been looking for her whole life is the exact opposite of what she will get.
Excerpt
from claimed
“Bella.” Mac slipped through
the stall door and hugged her tight, avoiding her IV. “I missed you.” Mac
kissed her muzzle and stroked her face. The scratch between her eyes was barely
noticeable, but the angry sutures on the right side of her jaw remained jagged.
If Mac had hoped by some miracle Bella would emerge unscathed, she better think
again.
Mac checked her water.
Particles of food floated on top, and she unsnapped the bucket from the screw
eye. “I’ll be right back.” She slipped out from the stall and went over to the
concrete sink and dumped out the old water.
Put a bullet in her head—it’s a lot cheaper.
Kai’s heartless voice played
in her head over and over again. Mac made a face and slammed on the faucet.
Cold water splashed her in the eye, and she dropped the bucket in the sink,
grabbing the edge of it. “Jerk.”
“That’s real nice. Haven’t
seen you in four days . . .”
Mac spun around, the heat
creeping into her cheeks. “I-I didn’t mean you. I meant that bonehead Kai
Montgomery.”
“Yeah, Gil told me.” Cade sauntered
over, his totally cool, shaggy brown hair partially covering his tough-guy
face. “Called him something else though.” He grabbed the bucket, rinsed it, and
filled it with water from the tap. “This for Bella?”
Mac nodded, all the while her
mind going back to two words—“four days.” He’d actually counted them.
Cade dipped his head.
“Hello?”
“Ah, yeah, it’s for Bella.”
He motioned for her to go
ahead of him. “So you’re staying then?”
Mac shrugged. “That’s the
deal.” Now that she was in the aisle, she waited for him to catch up. “Bella
still has her IV?”
“Yep. Doc says another day or
two, and he’ll remove it.”
“How’s Raider doing without
his mama?”
“A total brat.” He laughed.
“Thanks for leaving me and Troy to pick up the slack. Guess who had to milk her
dry and bottle-feed the beast while you were gone?”
Gil must have pawned it off
on them. She would have done it. Mac swung on him. “I-I didn’t have a choice.
They wouldn’t let—”
“Relax. I’m kidding.”
“Oh. Sorry.” That was the old Mac. Defensive—about everything. Mac
opened the stall door, holding it for Cade, and couldn’t help but laugh at
herself and the image of Cade milking Bella.
He snapped Bella’s water
bucket to the screw eye. “What’s so funny?”
“You.” Mac angled her head down toward Bella’s stomach. “I get
milking cows. Not so sure about a horse.”
“Yeah, well, it wasn’t
enjoyable for either one of us.” She could tell he wanted to laugh. The corners
of his mouth were that close to turning up.
“Hey, I’ve been looking for
you two.” Troy stood outside the stall. “Gil needs us to pick up some supplies
at Hyrup’s.”
Cade frowned at Mac and then
turned to Troy. “Guess the girls can’t come.”
Troy laughed. “No, man. Gil’s
cool. Caroline’s already in the truck.”
“Cool. Let me grab my
Stetson, and I’ll meet you at the truck.”
Troy sauntered out of the
barn, and Cade leveled a curious gaze at Mac.
“What?”
“Didn’t you say your
grandparents live in Glenwood Springs?”
“Yeah.”
“Got an address?”
Mac nodded. “Yeah. Why?”
“The supply store is near
Glenwood Springs. Wouldn’t take us long to pick up supplies. We could swing by
after.”
Planning and doing were two
totally different things. She wasn’t ready to see them—confront them. “What if
they’re not home? They could be out and taking one of those stupid classes that
old—”
“You’re afraid.”
“Am not. It’s just they won’t
be home.”
He gave her his back and
sauntered out just like Troy—all full of himself. “Afraid,” he called back.
Mac bit down on her lip. She
wasn’t afraid. They weren’t worth being afraid over. They’d done this to
her—not the other way around. Mac ran down the aisle after him. “I’m not
afraid. And you’re the one being a jerk now.”
“Prove it.”
“That you’re a jerk?”
He chuckled. “No. That you’re
not afraid to tell your grandparents off.”
Mac breathed deeply through her
nose. “Fine. I need to run up and get their address. I’ll meet you at the
truck.” Mac took off toward the cabin and climbed the stone steps.
Miss Rachel stepped out from
around the corner of the wraparound porch and her pediatrician’s office on that
side of the cabin. “Hey, Mac, where you going in such a hurry?”
“Ah . . . bathroom, then me
and Caroline are going with Troy and Cade to the supply store. Gil said we
could go.”
She walked toward Mac in
jeans, cowboy boots, and her doctor’s coat. “That’s great, sweetie.” She nodded
toward the steps. “I have a few house calls to make and a class I’m taking so I
can understand all these new health insurance forms.” She rolled her eyes.
Mac laughed. Miss Rachel’s
arm remained around Mac’s shoulders, comforting and warm. She was so not like
any other foster mother she had over the years, and truthfully, she couldn’t
wait to spend her first night at the cabin. “What time will you be home?”
“About ten. I’ve got a roast
in the Crock-Pot for you and Caroline.” Her arm fell away. “I’ll see you
tonight.”
“Bye.”
Miss Rachel traveled down the
grassy hill, using the stepping stones, and said something to Gil who had come
from the barn. Gil remained at Cade’s truck while Miss Rachel hopped in hers
and headed out.
Mac darted in the house and
grabbed the paper from her backpack, shoving it in her jean pocket. She met her
friends at Cade’s truck in time to catch Gil’s speech.
“No detours,” he called out
in a deep, gruff voice, his dark brows bunching together over his sharp nose.
Uh, oh.
Mac’s stomach dipped—and not
like the first hill of a killer rollercoaster.
Author
Bio –
P. J.
O’Dwyer is an award-winning author of young adult and romantic suspense. She’s
an active member of Romance Writers of America. When asked where she gets her
story ideas, she laughs ruefully and says, “It helps being married to a cop.”
She lives in Maryland with her family.
Connect
with P. J.
Giveaway:
Keepsake Necklace Inspired
by Heroine Mac Stonebreaker
2 comments:
Enjoyed the excerpt!
Sounds like a good read. I'll have to add it to my TBR list.
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