The bay lost her footing and come down on both knees, nearly ousting Leith forward over her head. She came back up on all fours, let out a horrendous squeal and started bucking all over again. Leith took a continuously torturous ride. His body flipped back and forth like a rag doll as the mare took another turn buck-jumping around the corral. His back felt like every vertebra in his backbone had come disassembled. His arms felt like they's been yanked from his body, and his head pounded like a stampede of buffalo were traveling through. Leith felt his senses slipping away. As if the energy plug had suddenly been pulled from the bay, she took one final plunge, then came to a complete halt. Her sides heaving in and out, slobbers stringing from her mouth, her nostrils flaring red and wide, the mare turned her sweaty, frothy head and rolled her dark eyes at her rider as if to say, "That's it for today, mister. Now get off." And Leith did just that. Leith and Chad were like brothers, both raised by Leith's widowed father. They got hired on at the Circle R hoping to hone their skills until the time they could start their own ranch. They were naturally competitive and with Chad's temper, there was bound to be a little friction along the way. Being young and good-looking and available, the competition and friction was bound to include some females. One female in particular seemed bent on wreaking chaos. And then there was her sister...and their devious father...and before long the ranch is almost lost and Leith is convinced to become a radio celebrity, a job he hates, to try to save it. Heartbreak ensues before it all gets untangled. The two best buddies, Leith Oakley and Chad Daniels, strike out on their own to earn money to own their own ranch. Along the way, shenanigans are pulled, tempers flare, and the green eye of jealousy rears its ugly head as a love triangle nearly breaks years of friendship between the two apart. Set in the fictitious town of Last Chance in the Bitterroots of Montana, there is an ample amount of beautiful Montana scenery to whet the appetite of those who love the mountains. The story is sprinkled with a lively amount of bronc-riding, bull riding, death, and near-death splashed with a downright good fight, along with a singing idol and layers of lies, secrecy, and schemes, steeped in trust and mistrust with much gusto of love and heartbreak-and a surprise ending.
About the Author: Deloris and her husband Jess lived all their married lives in Tarkio, a small town in the northwest corner of Missouri, until Jess's death in 2005. They were blessed with three children, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Deloris is an avid Western fan, and has loved Western movies and books with a hero like Gene Autry since childhood, very likely stemming from her early association with her mom's old 78 records and Saturday Westerns at the Tarkio theater. She enjoys writing and putting her own take on Westerns from her imagination on paper. Deloris would enjoy hearing from any readers at diona@wavecable.com.