Heartbreakers and Heroes

by Box Set

  She chased Ryder with her PR team, pushing through the throng of fans. Ryder swerved his bike hard to the left, came to his signature stop and raised his fist in the air. And smiled his trademark grin. One with a guaranteed-to-please sticker on it, which had garnered millions of dollars in sponsorships.

  He dismounted his bike, gave it to one of his coaches, and started walking through the crowd. She expected him to sign autographs for his younger fans and snap pictures with the dozens of Bettys following him from race to race. Instead, he continued without breaking stride.

  “What’s he doing? He can’t do this.” Her heart thudded. Why would he blow this opportunity now that he had exactly he wanted, too?

  She shot her dad a confused look. He shrugged and seemed completely unfazed by the current Ryder turn of events.

  The crew moved into a semi circle around her as Ryder approached. He removed his helmet and took the wraparound sunglasses off his dirt streaked, handsome face. The crowd seemed to take a collective sigh, and the cowbells stopped clanging when he finally reached her.

  His eyes—as blue as the brilliant summer sky overhead and filled with so much yearning that her heart ached—locked onto hers. “You aren’t following the script,” she said, wanting to reach for him, but stilling her desire with a stern reminder he’d hurt her one time too many during her lifetime.

  “Sometimes we have to go off script for the greater good.” Ryder tilted his head toward the camera person to her right. “You rolling this live? I don’t want the world to miss one minute.”

  She nodded. “Absolutely. Per your instructions.”

  “Instructions?” Addison’s knees wobbled. “Who gave you permission to hijack my staff?”

  “Your father. It was part of my negotiations for the contract.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I wanted everyone to see me go for a better prize than a trophy or a gold medal.” He brushed a tendril of her hair from her face, and tucked it behind her ear. “Addison, I shouldn’t have questioned you. I screwed up royally when I didn’t trust you to have my back.”

  The genuine remorse in his voice sent a wave of warmth throughout her body. “Yes, you did, but you’ve got a reputation for being bull-headed.”

  A muscle twitched in his jaw. “I’ll need a lot of help beating that rap,” he said.

  “You’ve hired the best agency in the country to help you.”

  “True.” Ryder closed the scant distance between them and slid his broad hands down her arms until he linked them with hers. “But I’m not sure I can keep on racing if I don’t win the most important thing in the world to me.”

  “You’ll ace the Olympics.”

  “I’m not talking about gold medals and trophies.” He swallowed hard and tightened his hold. “You’re my finish line. Without you, nothing else matters. You’re the one I want to wake up next to in the morning. You’re the one I want to share my life with now and tomorrow and forever. You’re my last chance, my only chance.”

  Tears pricked behind her eyes and her nose itched. He’d taken a big risk by putting himself out there publicly—all of his hopes and wishes for them. Without any guarantee she’d yield. “I want to believe you, but…”

  Fear flashed for a second in his gaze. “Please, Addison. Forgive me one more time.” He dropped to his knees, then unzipped one of his jersey pockets, and withdrew a ring. “You have to believe me. You gave me everything when you gave me your heart. I screwed up, but I promise I’ll spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you.”

  Her pulse accelerated into hyper drive, and the tears she had banked rolled down her cheeks. He’d proposed in front of a live audience, his fans, and all his adoring Bettys. No one had ever gone to such great lengths for her. And she knew no one else ever would. “Ryder,” she said. “I love you. I’ve always loved you.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  Someone laughed, and a few people started clapping. Around her, the crew grinned, and when her gaze landed on her father’s, his paternal love shined in his eyes.

  “Yes.”

  He slipped the sparkling diamond onto her trembling ring finger, then stood and pulled her into his arms. “I love you,” Ryder said, then he lowered his mouth onto hers and brought her back to the place where her heart had always belonged.

  Acknowledgments

  Critique partners extraordinaire! Carmen Falcone and Pam Mantovani!! Thanks for always having my back, and making me laugh. To my wonderful readers—especially the fabulous Passionettes! Special shout out to Monique Doust, Maria Rose, and Delene Yochum for reading this novella before it went to print. I’m so grateful for your insight. Heidi Scribner and Petra Engle! I’m honored to call you sisters of my heart. Mallory and Chuck! We’ve had a crazy ride since I sold my first book, but you’ve stayed the course. I love you both oodles and boodles.

  About the Author

  Christine writes tantalizing, sensual, emotional contemporary romances. She enjoys finding the silly in the serious, making wine out of sour grapes, and giving people giggle fits. When she’s not writing, you can find her traveling the world, and desperately seeking a corkscrew.

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  Be sure to visit her at

  @cjglover63

  Christine-Glover-158387587541698

  www.christinegloversite.com

  Also by Christine Glover

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  The Tycoon’s Red Hot Marriage Merger

  Once a Heartbreaker

  By T.J. Kline

  Edited by Rebecca Lucash

  Once a Heartbreaker

  John had always warned him never to lie, especially to a woman but when Ty Prescott broke the rules and left Saddle Creek twelve years ago, he thought he was doing it for the right reasons. Now he’s returned to start his own ranch in Saddle Creek but that means facing Rayne, coming clean and convincing her to forgive him for breaking her heart.

  Rayne McCoy has no interest in letting Ty worm his way back into her good graces. Unfortunately, Ty’s not taking no for an answer and, when she’s forced to be in contact with him for John’s sake, she finds that it’s not so easy to forgive a broken heart or forget your first love.

  Can the cowboy earn her trust and her love once again, or is he destined to always be a heartbreaker?

  To the “cowboy” in my life who inspires me every day.

  Rule #7: A real man never lies, especially to a woman.

  Chapter 1

  “Dr. McCoy will be right out, Mr. Prescott. I’ll page her now.”

  Ty pressed the button to disconnect his phone and stared again at the gash on his gelding Boogie’s neck. He’d been able to staunch most of the blood flow, but he was left with a ragged mess. At least the vet he’d found on the internet was on her way. He hated that he didn’t know anything about her, but right now he only cared that she could get out there fast. He just prayed this was the worst of his luck this week. It had been nothing but one mess after another since his arrival yesterday at his new ranch. His gaze moved over the run down house, the nearly caving roof, and the broken front porch stairs where he’d nearly fallen into a raccoon’s den last night. This place was a disaster. Nothing like the “diamond in the rough” his real estate agent had sworn it was.

  A dump in the rough is more like it.

  He’d spent the last thirteen years beating his body to a bloody pulp on the rodeo circuit to finally save up enough for his own place. When this ranch had come on the market unexpectedly, he’d jumped at the chance to buy it. This town held fond memories for him, even if his original arrival in town sixteen years ago had been preceded by a court order. The Saddle Creek Boys’ ranch had quickly turned into home, especially since John had been the only one willing to give him a chance.

  Well, John and Rayne.

  Ty clenched his jaw and tried to push away the memories of the young woman who’d spent
far too many days with him and the other delinquents at John’s place, just a few miles up the road from his new ranch. Looking back now, he wondered if the old man hadn’t been crazy for letting her hang around them, but, even now, Ty didn’t regret the time he’d spent with her. That girl had challenged a group of troubled young men to step up and become better, to turn their anger into something productive. Maybe that was why the old man had let her return, day after day. Rayne, like John, had a way of drawing the best out of each of them.

  Until you broke her heart.

  Ty pushed away the memory of the sadness in her blue eyes when he’d told her he didn’t love her. There was no sense reliving the moment. He’d thought about that night almost every day since it happened. He ran a hand over the gelding’s neck, a gesture that was more to calm himself than the horse, who stood complacently still. But he’d returned to right his past wrongs. At the very least, to put his guilt over what he’d said to Rayne to bed.

  The first thing he needed to do was to look up John. The old man had always been handy with a hammer and this place needed more than just a little TLC. It needed a complete overhaul. Maybe Ty could swing by the boys’ ranch and see if John had any suggestions for him on how to get things in order. He could certainly use John’s wisdom when he was ready to reach out to Rayne.

  The sound of tires on the long gravel driveway drew Ty’s attention, and he watched as a white truck made its way toward the corral. He held the side of Boogie’s halter, glancing back at the gelding’s wounded neck as the veterinarian parked and climbed out of the driver’s side of the vehicle.

  “I’m sorry to call you out so early on a Sunday, but this dork got a little too rambunctious. Guess rodeo horses aren’t necessarily the smartest.”

  “I’d say that goes for rodeo cowboys as well.”

  Ty looked up to see Rayne walk into the corral. So much for the hope that his luck would improve.

  ***

  Rayne McCoy would have been perfectly happy to live out the rest of her life in Saddle Creek without seeing Ty Prescott again. Maybe that wasn’t exactly true, but after he’d walked away from her the summer after their high school graduation, leaving behind an engagement ring on her finger and a broken heart in her chest, she’d done her best to forget he ever existed. It might have been easier if he hadn’t earned local rodeo celebrity status as a four-time All-Around Cowboy.

  Every diner, feed store and doctor’s office in town had posters of him on their walls and, once they’d heard the rumor that he’d be returning to Saddle Creek, the speculation hadn’t stopped. It was just her bad luck that he’d purchased the run-down property half a mile from the clinic she’d opened after her divorce three years ago.

  Funny how the only time she heard Ty’s name nowadays was people bragging about how they knew him. Most of them hadn’t wanted their names associated with Ty’s back when he’d first come to town. Back when he was just another troubled kid from the wrong side of the tracks that ended up at “that boys’ ranch ole John had.” But she hadn’t cared about his past, or why he’d come to town. She had her own troubles, and he made her forget them. It had been easy to fall for Ty, the sweet-talking city boy with a chip on his shoulder. The young man who’d held her when her father gave her a black eye and she was too embarrassed to go to school. The boy who’d promised her, at sixteen, that he’d always protect her. She’d been too naïve, too in love with him, to believe he’d betray her trust. Until the day he did.

  She walked the short distance across the driveway to where he waited with the horse. His gaze slid over her, slowly, practically caressing her until his dark brown eyes met hers. A cocky grin tugged at the corner of his mouth, making a dimple crease deeply into his tanned cheek. “I’ll be damned.”

  His voice was low and husky—sexy as hell—but slightly confused, as if her presence there had caught him off-guard.

  Good. He should feel uncomfortable facing her after what he’d done.

  You were kids, her more rational side reminded her. You both did some pretty stupid things. Like bridge jumping, or the night you snuck out to sleep under the stars in the ravine where they’d just seen a mountain lion. You were willing to risk life and limb, literally, to be with Ty.

  And look how well that turned out.

  “Rayne Peterson.” Ty shook his head and ran a hand over the sleek brown shoulder of the bay gelding. His hand covered hers, resting on the gelding’s withers, and electricity shot up her arm, sparking heat that burned to her core. “I thought they were sending out the vet?”

  Rayne quickly removed her hand from beneath his fingers. “I am the vet.”

  She moved around him, toward the horse’s head, letting the animal sniff at her as she ignored Ty and inspected the horse, checking for any signs of blood loss. His eyes looked alert and he appeared to be in good health other than the gash on his neck. She gently moved her fingers over the muscle around the cut, checking for swelling as she tugged her stethoscope from around her neck and pressed it to the gelding’s side.

  “And it’s Dr. McCoy now.”

  She saw emotion flicker in the depths of his eyes, but she didn’t want to try to even figure out what it might be, and tried to convince herself she didn’t care. He’d made his choices and, whether they’d been good or bad, so had she.

  After the heartbreak she’d suffered at Ty’s hands, she’d vowed to never fall for another “bad boy” and, instead, had run right into the arms of a man who was the complete opposite. Bobby McCoy – a self-professed geek and computer whiz, brilliant in his work with animals and technology, but apparently not savvy enough to conceal the texts from his mistress, their vet assistant. Or, maybe at that point, he just hadn’t cared enough to bother. Any more than she’d cared when she found out. The divorce for a marriage that should never have happened had been swift, and she added it to just another mistake to the pile of memories from her past she wanted to pretend had never existed. But that wasn’t any of Ty’s business.

  He opened his mouth to speak but she held up a finger, indicating he should wait until she finished listening to the animal’s lung and gut sounds. It gave her a measure of satisfaction that he was forced to follow her orders and to be the one calling the shots with him for a change. She stood upright and wrapped the instrument around the back of her neck again.

  “Anything other than the cut? Fever?”

  “I haven’t taken his temp, so I don’t know.”

  She ran a hand over the gelding’s rump as she lifted his tail and took his temperature. “How’d it happen?”

  “Like I said when I called, he ran through the fence and cut himself. I cleaned it up as best I could, but figured it was going to need some stitches.” His eyes never strayed from her face, and she could feel the heat rising up her neck, into her cheeks. She ducked her head and moved back toward the gelding’s shoulder, putting her toe-to-toe with Ty.

  She tried to ignore the way his dark hair still fell in waves over his forehead, and how much she wanted to brush his too-long locks back. And the way he still smelled like soap and leather, which made her want to bury her face in his chest and inhale deeply. And the way he met her gaze, as if he could read her most wicked fantasies. Rayne’s heart fluttered against her ribs when her gaze met his as attraction rushed through her. It annoyed her that after all this time, some things still hadn’t changed. He could still cause her heart to skip, and he could still make desire swirl through her body from just the heat in his gaze. Reality had always ceased to exist when she was near Ty, like the Earth quit spinning and time stood still.

  You know…” Ty paused, as if unsure what to say. Then his eyes darkened even further, practically begging her to lose herself in them. “You look good, Rayne,” he finally finished.

  The rasp in his voice made her bones melt, reminding her of the nights they’d made love under the stars, the looks that seemed to make their souls connect. The promises made only to be broken later.

  You’re over him. You�
�ve moved on, remember?

  Except standing so close to him now, feeling the heat of his stare, it didn’t feel that way. Rejection wound a band around her chest, making her feel the same way she had the day he’d left her behind. The day he’d told her that he didn’t want a girl following him from rodeo to rodeo when there were so many real women vying for his attention. The day he told her he didn’t love her and that he never had.

  This was ridiculous. She was a grown-ass woman and not a horny teenager. Rayne clenched her jaw, trying to ignore the hurt that rose up, tightening her throat, making breathing difficult and any witty retort she might want to throw his way impossible. She focused on the horse again, inspecting the wound for infection. It was the reason she was here, and she was a professional, damn it.

  He might be an ass of an ex-fiancé, but he was good at cleaning wounds.

  “I just need to get my tools from the truck,” she muttered. She wanted to get away from those penetrating eyes as quickly as possible.

  ***

  Ty hadn’t missed the agony reflected in Rayne’s eyes. Nearly twelve years had passed since the day he’d walked away from her, but time hadn’t healed the wound he’d caused the way he’d hoped it had. The look in her eyes and the way she’d quickly brushed him off had made that fact abundantly clear.

  He looped Boogie’s lead rope over the post and followed her to her truck, desperately trying to figure out a way to apologize for the past, to explain what he’d done, but he knew there was no real explanation. Not one that would make sense at this stage in their lives, anyway. She’d loved him, and he’d hurt her. She’d rushed to be by his side when he was injured in a rodeo event, and he’d pushed her away, saying things he knew would make her stop loving him. But he’d had no other options at the time. At least, not any his young, stupid mind had come up with.