FOLLOW EMMA ON AMAZON FOR UPDATES ON HIS TWO HIDDEN MASKS, READY FOR PRE-ORDER SPRING 2024!

There are two kinds of men in the world, cowboys and suits. Shea loves cowboys and has the broken heart to prove suits can't be trusted. So, what happens when the suit who broke her heart ten years ago comes back to town. Will Shea walk away? Or will she discover there really is a cowboy underneath his three piece suit?

Troy's kiss made my toes curl and set butterflies a flight in my belly. Troy's kiss lit a fire in my body in places I didn't even know existed.
He was my first for everything.
My first kiss.
My first love.
My first heartbreak.

The man in the black suit pulled himself to his feet. His back turned to me he brushed off the legs of his trousers. I froze. An old friend? I knew him. I knew those hands. I stared at the cut of his shoulders, the shape of his neck as he looked to the side. I'd touched his naked skin in the dark with our legs tangled together. I'd felt the thrill of his fingers running through my hair. Suddenly I was aware of nothing but my heartbeat, nothing but my breath. The temperature in the waiting room felt ten degrees warmer.

"Hello Shea," he said.

My knees about buckled. I reached out and steadied myself on a chair. It had been ten years since I'd seen his face, but I would have recognized those bright blue eyes and sweet smile anywhere. His hair was still thick and chocolate brown, the dimple in his left cheek unchanged. He looked older and rugged with a five o'clock shadow dusting his jaw.

Long ago he'd been the cowboy of my dreams wearing flannel, denim, and steel toe boots just like my brothers. In a tailored black suit, a crisp white button down, vest and tie, it was clear he wasn't from anywhere close to around here.

Damn. He still looked good. He looked hot and disheveled and all of a sudden I was struggling against the urge to throw my arms around the neck of Troy Van Rossum, the boy who had broken my heart.

"It's been a while," Troy said. His cheeks flushed from the fight, his blue eyes looked bright and he smiled despite the red swelling on his cheek.

"Nice three-piece suit," I said, unable to think of anything else to say. I held onto the back of that chair for dear life causing my knuckles to turn white.

"It's good to see you," he said, smiling at me as if we were the only two people in the room.

His smile unlocked a summer of memories, they flashed in front of me like the pages of a book turning. His shy smile, the day we'd met in the orchard. Our first kiss, the way his lips felt fluttering against mine, the touch of his hand on the back of my neck. Three flashes of light through my bedroom window, it had been our signal to find each other, our code for I love you, and I had believed him every time. I felt the weight of Caiden, Max, and Ben's stare. Even Mrs. Ingram seemed stunned into silence. I suppose everyone was asking the same question. What would Shea Marie O'Toole do to the man who had abandoned her on the courthouse steps the day she was supposed to be his bride?

"You look good," Troy said.

And something about that comment snapped me back to reality like a rubber band snapping against my skin.

He broke his promise. He broke my heart. He lied.

After a decade of total silence, Troy Van Rossum had the gall to walk back into my life and give me a shallow compliment? You look good? I didn't look good. In fact, I was pretty sure I looked like I was in need of a hairbrush, a toothbrush, and a good night's sleep. My body lit up with rage, ten full years of it.

"We should talk," he said.

"No thank you," I answered. And without hesitation, I strode right across that room and I slapped him in the face.