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Heartbreak Canyon #2
The Horseman's Bride
He'd adored her from afar, quietly, desperately, until he swept her off her feet and took her away just before she wed the wrong man. But their guilt followed them until it wrenched them apart.
Yet beautiful Shay Stephens never could get Easy Rafferty out of her mind or her heart. So when the half-Cherokee ex-rodeo star returned to Heartbreak broken, bitter and hell-bent on living in merciless solitude, Shay vowed to help Easy reclaim his life and his pride and prove to him that home was right there in her arms
Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1999
About the author
Marilyn Pappano
195 books125 followersAward-winning and bestselling author, international traveler, feted at a Hollywood premiere . . .
All true . . . but my regular life is a whole lot more routine. Deal with the five big puppers who share our house, babysit our grandson, battle the jungle that is our yard, pray for summer in winter and dream of winter in summer, and hunker down at the computer -- that's my real life.
I grew up in Oklahoma and had the fun of living in Georgia, Alabama, California and the Carolinas, thanks to my husband's Navy career. When he retired, we came home to Oklahoma and have lived in the same house for seventeen years. That's a real "Wow!" for someone used to the nomadic military life.
Writing was the perfect career for all that moving. Have computer, will travel. I've set books, or part of them, in every state we've lived in and been inspired by every place I've ever been. I've now written somewhere around 80 books, and I think I've got only about 8,000 stories left to tell.
My biggest hobby is starting new projects -- starting. Not completing. I'm still not done with the cross-stitched Army seal I started when our son joined out of high school. He did tours in Georgia, Colorado, Korea, Italy, Iraq, Afghanistan and Louisiana, and has been out for a few years. So I'm a little slow.
I like to think about getting organized, painting my living room in cool beachy colors, and turning my entire five-acre yard into a garden. I also dream about having every room in my house clean at exactly the same time, but I live by the motto of the woman who taught me to quilt: A clean house is the sign of a bored woman.
And I've never been bored.
All true . . . but my regular life is a whole lot more routine. Deal with the five big puppers who share our house, babysit our grandson, battle the jungle that is our yard, pray for summer in winter and dream of winter in summer, and hunker down at the computer -- that's my real life.
I grew up in Oklahoma and had the fun of living in Georgia, Alabama, California and the Carolinas, thanks to my husband's Navy career. When he retired, we came home to Oklahoma and have lived in the same house for seventeen years. That's a real "Wow!" for someone used to the nomadic military life.
Writing was the perfect career for all that moving. Have computer, will travel. I've set books, or part of them, in every state we've lived in and been inspired by every place I've ever been. I've now written somewhere around 80 books, and I think I've got only about 8,000 stories left to tell.
My biggest hobby is starting new projects -- starting. Not completing. I'm still not done with the cross-stitched Army seal I started when our son joined out of high school. He did tours in Georgia, Colorado, Korea, Italy, Iraq, Afghanistan and Louisiana, and has been out for a few years. So I'm a little slow.
I like to think about getting organized, painting my living room in cool beachy colors, and turning my entire five-acre yard into a garden. I also dream about having every room in my house clean at exactly the same time, but I live by the motto of the woman who taught me to quilt: A clean house is the sign of a bored woman.
And I've never been bored.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 5, 2010
Easy Rafferty has come back to his small hometown in Oklahoma a bit worse for wear. Seriously injured in a car wreck, his successful rodeo career and dream to raise horses on his ranch both go up in smoke when his hip is shattered and he loses all but his thumb and forefinger on his right hand. Add in some gruesome scars on his face and body and he is one bitter, anti-social cowboy. All the same, he feels it's no less than he deserves, having run off with his best friend's fiancé three days before their wedding 14 years ago, then abandoning her in a Montana motel eight years later.
Shay Stephens runs the Heartbreak Cafe in town, and she's sick of people asking her if she's seen Easy since the prodigal son returned. After he abandoned her in a seedy motel, leaving her a stack of bills like payment for services rendered, she's loath to reopen old wounds. She's spent the past six years trying to move on and put him out of mind, but he's gone and reopened the wounds just by reappearing. Wanting some closure with her childhood friend she spent eight years living with on the rodeo circuit, she heads out to visit him.
From start to finish this book is non-stop angst, drama and emotion. Easy - and that's a nickname for Ezekiel - is consumed with guilt from stealing Shay from their friend Guthrie. Shay is wondering what's wrong with her that she'd still be in love with someone who'd treated her so poorly. Easy is miserably wallowing in self-pity from how his injuries have ruined all of his plans for life. Both want to restart their romance, but aren't sure how to overcome 14 years of mistakes, betrayals and guilt, or if they even deserve to try. High. Drama.
All this heavy emotion is handled well for the most part. Nothing goes away magically overnight. They bicker and argue as much as they talk and work together, like you imagine a couple with 14 years of history might need to. Shay begins to understand why he treated her the way he did when they were together and Easy needs to learn to accept Shay's love without feeling guilty. Both work together through his adjustments to his disabilities, with mixed results. Lots of hard work and real effort goes into resolving their problems before they truly reunite.
The book was on pace to be a strong 4-4.5 character-focused redemption romance when a late fight blew giant holes in their HEA. First and foremost, ultimatums along the lines of "it's either this or me" are generally childish. The nature of the ultimatum Shay drops on Easy near the end was not only overly rigid and selfish, it was in opposition to what she seemed to have learned from an earlier conflict. To my mind it set their reconciliation way back and showed a couple that would constantly be throwing the other out every time they argued. Couples like that certainly endure, but it's hard to envision too much of the H in their HEA.
If you like a highly-emotional redemption story with non-stop drama, this novel certainly has that in spades. It's just a shame the ending diluted my enjoyment as much as it did.
Shay Stephens runs the Heartbreak Cafe in town, and she's sick of people asking her if she's seen Easy since the prodigal son returned. After he abandoned her in a seedy motel, leaving her a stack of bills like payment for services rendered, she's loath to reopen old wounds. She's spent the past six years trying to move on and put him out of mind, but he's gone and reopened the wounds just by reappearing. Wanting some closure with her childhood friend she spent eight years living with on the rodeo circuit, she heads out to visit him.
From start to finish this book is non-stop angst, drama and emotion. Easy - and that's a nickname for Ezekiel - is consumed with guilt from stealing Shay from their friend Guthrie. Shay is wondering what's wrong with her that she'd still be in love with someone who'd treated her so poorly. Easy is miserably wallowing in self-pity from how his injuries have ruined all of his plans for life. Both want to restart their romance, but aren't sure how to overcome 14 years of mistakes, betrayals and guilt, or if they even deserve to try. High. Drama.
All this heavy emotion is handled well for the most part. Nothing goes away magically overnight. They bicker and argue as much as they talk and work together, like you imagine a couple with 14 years of history might need to. Shay begins to understand why he treated her the way he did when they were together and Easy needs to learn to accept Shay's love without feeling guilty. Both work together through his adjustments to his disabilities, with mixed results. Lots of hard work and real effort goes into resolving their problems before they truly reunite.
The book was on pace to be a strong 4-4.5 character-focused redemption romance when a late fight blew giant holes in their HEA. First and foremost, ultimatums along the lines of "it's either this or me" are generally childish. The nature of the ultimatum Shay drops on Easy near the end was not only overly rigid and selfish, it was in opposition to what she seemed to have learned from an earlier conflict. To my mind it set their reconciliation way back and showed a couple that would constantly be throwing the other out every time they argued. Couples like that certainly endure, but it's hard to envision too much of the H in their HEA.
If you like a highly-emotional redemption story with non-stop drama, this novel certainly has that in spades. It's just a shame the ending diluted my enjoyment as much as it did.
November 13, 2024
3.5 Stars A story about people who struggle with romance and faith in each other.
October 28, 2025
Emotional story of an injured man coming to terms with his accident and what life means going forward.
July 17, 2016
I can't believe I kept this book at all, much less through three moves.
Shay, Easy, and Guthrie were best friends. Although Shay and Guthrie were engaged, 14 years ago, Shay and Easy ran off together and left him at the altar. Easy felt SO GUILTY over this betrayal that he treated Shay terribly, making her think he was having multiple affairs and refusing to marry her. (He was, of course, not actually cheating on her since he loved her too much for that. *eyeroll*) Six year ago he left her and she returned home, where she puts on short, tight outfits and goes to bars to pick up inappropriate men.
But Easy is now back home because he was in a terrible accident. Despite his treatment of her, Shay is all ready to seduce him and return to their messed up relationship. Easy is full of self pity because of his scars and missing fingers, and he refuses to see his beloved horse who was damaged in the accident, even though he despises others for not wanting to see him for the same reason.
Sorry, I did not like her or him, and their relationship is all kinds of unhealthy. I know taste in romances changes as one gets older, but I think I meant this for the donation box, not the keep box.
Shay, Easy, and Guthrie were best friends. Although Shay and Guthrie were engaged, 14 years ago, Shay and Easy ran off together and left him at the altar. Easy felt SO GUILTY over this betrayal that he treated Shay terribly, making her think he was having multiple affairs and refusing to marry her. (He was, of course, not actually cheating on her since he loved her too much for that. *eyeroll*) Six year ago he left her and she returned home, where she puts on short, tight outfits and goes to bars to pick up inappropriate men.
But Easy is now back home because he was in a terrible accident. Despite his treatment of her, Shay is all ready to seduce him and return to their messed up relationship. Easy is full of self pity because of his scars and missing fingers, and he refuses to see his beloved horse who was damaged in the accident, even though he despises others for not wanting to see him for the same reason.
Sorry, I did not like her or him, and their relationship is all kinds of unhealthy. I know taste in romances changes as one gets older, but I think I meant this for the donation box, not the keep box.
July 31, 2011
My grade: B. This is a story about forgiveness. Easy has to forgive himself for betraying his best friend. That betrayal ruined his life and prevented him from finding happiness with Shay. Easy returns home, permanently disabled and broken after an accident. Hope and self-esteem are gone. Even with the help of Shay, it's a long road back for him. I wish I could have seen more of his relationship with Guthrie after they made peace. Guthrie's daughters were a highlight. Easy was so low, so down, I wondered why he didn't turn to alcohol. He drank the occasional beer, but wasn't shown drunk, and beer really isn't the drink of choice for losing yourself. I found it ironic that Easy's guilt over taking Guthrie's fiance (Shay) destroyed his life. In today's world the straying husband has become common.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews