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The Texas Homecoming #2
In Love with the Bronc Rider
When Tori took a job at the Rocking C ranch, nobody told her an ornery cowboy came with it. As a former nurse, Tori knew she could help Matt Clayton get back on his feet. The only obstacle was the injured bronc rider himself…
An accident may have ended his rodeo career, but Matt wasn't one to back down from a challenge! Now one bossy redhead was about to meet her match! But Tori was hiding something.
Would Tori's secret force her to leave Matt and the feelings he was awakening in her? Or could love work its healing magic on them both, making this a homecoming neither would forget?
An accident may have ended his rodeo career, but Matt wasn't one to back down from a challenge! Now one bossy redhead was about to meet her match! But Tori was hiding something.
Would Tori's secret force her to leave Matt and the feelings he was awakening in her? Or could love work its healing magic on them both, making this a homecoming neither would forget?
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 2007
3 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Judy Duarte
324 books95 followersWhen life threw Judy Duarte a curve twenty years ago, she did what many newly single mothers do. She pulled herself and her four kids together, became even more determined to come out on top, and decided to start following her dreams. What better role model could she provide her children than to show them that anything is possible? So, she returned to school, graduating from UC Irvine about the same time her oldest kids hit the teen years.
With her dream of getting her degree having come true, another dream presented itself by way of a new, perfect mate. Life was good again, but one dream still nagged at her:
"I always knew there was a book inside me, but since English was my least favorite subject in school, I never considered myself a writer."
All her life Judy has been spinning stories--telling tales to her kids as they grew up, plotting stories and creating characters to fill the time during carpool days and all those commutes back to college...and she never stopped dreaming of putting those stories on paper. Determined to follow her yearnings, she joined Romance Writers of America and met her critique partners Crystal Green and Sheri WhiteFeather (both are now multi-published award-winning authors and the trio have worked together and encouraged each other ever since).
“I might not have been a born writer, but I was a storyteller. The characters and plots came easy, but I had to learn how to make the scenes in my head come alive for the reader. And that meant I had to learn how to write.”
Judy's determination to become a published author grew and she began focusing on creating poignant stories designed to touch a reader's heart. As she fine-tuned her writing style and learned her craft, she found herself writing the stories she liked to read. Stories about families, second chances, and true love. In creating her own happily-ever-after stories she took ordinary characters, put them in emotionally compelling situations, and forced them to grow. They learned, as she had, that when a door is closed, they must look for that open window.
“Since I love books and movies in which people must overcome insurmountable odds to win and earn their happy-ever-after, those are the kinds of tales I like to create.”
Judy's unpublished stories won not only the coveted Emily (West Houston RWA Chapter) and Orange Rose (Orange County RWA Chapter) awards, but also earned her the status of a double RWA Golden Heart finalist in 2001.
Then Judy's dream became a reality in March 2002 when Silhouette Special Edition released her first book, COWBOY COURAGE. Since then, she has published seventeen books and is contracted to write three more. Her stories have touched the hearts of readers around the world. Her tales of redemption and renewed trust generate many fan letters from readers who tell her of the positive impact reading her stories have had in their lives.
A woman who had been shattered by her husband’s recent betrayal and desertion had not been able to read or watch anything that had a romance involved writes: I saw your book in the store, and the title caught my eye. (I have a thing for cowboys.) When I read the back cover, I bought it and couldn’t put it down. I finished it in one day. I still have my doubts about meeting a decent man and trusting again. But maybe in time I will be able to love again. I will be watching for your next book.
In July 2005, Judy won the prestigious Reader's Choice Award for THE RICH MAN'S SON.
“When I received the call telling me I had finaled in the Reader’s Choice, I was thrilled beyond measure. Being judged by real readers and recognized as a finalist was a joy in itself. I went to the ceremony honored to be in attendance. And when they announced me the winner, tears came to my eyes and a lump formed in my throat. It took days for my feet to touch the ground.”
Judy makes her home near the beach in Southern California with her husband, their son, and a cat
With her dream of getting her degree having come true, another dream presented itself by way of a new, perfect mate. Life was good again, but one dream still nagged at her:
"I always knew there was a book inside me, but since English was my least favorite subject in school, I never considered myself a writer."
All her life Judy has been spinning stories--telling tales to her kids as they grew up, plotting stories and creating characters to fill the time during carpool days and all those commutes back to college...and she never stopped dreaming of putting those stories on paper. Determined to follow her yearnings, she joined Romance Writers of America and met her critique partners Crystal Green and Sheri WhiteFeather (both are now multi-published award-winning authors and the trio have worked together and encouraged each other ever since).
“I might not have been a born writer, but I was a storyteller. The characters and plots came easy, but I had to learn how to make the scenes in my head come alive for the reader. And that meant I had to learn how to write.”
Judy's determination to become a published author grew and she began focusing on creating poignant stories designed to touch a reader's heart. As she fine-tuned her writing style and learned her craft, she found herself writing the stories she liked to read. Stories about families, second chances, and true love. In creating her own happily-ever-after stories she took ordinary characters, put them in emotionally compelling situations, and forced them to grow. They learned, as she had, that when a door is closed, they must look for that open window.
“Since I love books and movies in which people must overcome insurmountable odds to win and earn their happy-ever-after, those are the kinds of tales I like to create.”
Judy's unpublished stories won not only the coveted Emily (West Houston RWA Chapter) and Orange Rose (Orange County RWA Chapter) awards, but also earned her the status of a double RWA Golden Heart finalist in 2001.
Then Judy's dream became a reality in March 2002 when Silhouette Special Edition released her first book, COWBOY COURAGE. Since then, she has published seventeen books and is contracted to write three more. Her stories have touched the hearts of readers around the world. Her tales of redemption and renewed trust generate many fan letters from readers who tell her of the positive impact reading her stories have had in their lives.
A woman who had been shattered by her husband’s recent betrayal and desertion had not been able to read or watch anything that had a romance involved writes: I saw your book in the store, and the title caught my eye. (I have a thing for cowboys.) When I read the back cover, I bought it and couldn’t put it down. I finished it in one day. I still have my doubts about meeting a decent man and trusting again. But maybe in time I will be able to love again. I will be watching for your next book.
In July 2005, Judy won the prestigious Reader's Choice Award for THE RICH MAN'S SON.
“When I received the call telling me I had finaled in the Reader’s Choice, I was thrilled beyond measure. Being judged by real readers and recognized as a finalist was a joy in itself. I went to the ceremony honored to be in attendance. And when they announced me the winner, tears came to my eyes and a lump formed in my throat. It took days for my feet to touch the ground.”
Judy makes her home near the beach in Southern California with her husband, their son, and a cat
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 1, 2011
While this book isn’t a keeper for me, it is one of those tender and sweet stories that Harlequin/Silhouette authors do so well. Both hero and heroine have issues to overcome before they can enjoy life and each other, and both come to these realizations mostly on their own, with only a little nudge from the other and from introspection after having met one another.
Tori has recently been betrayed both those closest to her, so she’s left town to get away from the hurt and the resulting embarrassment. She’s taken a job as a housekeeper, but she expands her duties to include helping the recovering cowboy she finds sulking away in a wheelchair. Her nursing instincts kick in, whether he wants the help or not. She’s used to surly patients, so there’s no way Matt is going to drive her away with his attitude.
Matt’s life has always been wound up in the rodeo, it’s what he’s always done best. But the accident that killed his fiance and her son has put an end to his career and his guilt over their deaths is putting an end to his life as he knew it. When the pesky housekeeper his mother hired turns her sights on him as her pet project, at first he wants nothing to do with her. He changes his mind, though, when Tori won’t give up and he gets to know her. He’s determined to find out what her horrible secret is and why she gave up her nursing career. Something is changing between them and darned if he doesn’t want to pursue that just a little bit more.
I enjoyed these two characters. They both have a world of hurt to get over, and they end up healing each other while falling in love. I liked the evolution of Matt’s desire for getting out of his wheelchair. It was nonexistent when Tori showed up and then gradually he wants more and more to walk again, taking up the challenge Tori tosses at him. Tori herself eventually opens up to Matt concerning her life, even after he butts in where he doesn’t belong. But that’s what gets these two people to take a good look at what’s happened to them, how they’ve reacted to it all, and how much they’re willing forgive — themselves and others. There’s also a nice setup for the next book in the series.
This is one of those books you can curl up with on a rainy day and feel a little sunshine and goodness in the midst of those down and gray feelings on such days.
See my complete review at http://www.goodbadandunread.com
Tori has recently been betrayed both those closest to her, so she’s left town to get away from the hurt and the resulting embarrassment. She’s taken a job as a housekeeper, but she expands her duties to include helping the recovering cowboy she finds sulking away in a wheelchair. Her nursing instincts kick in, whether he wants the help or not. She’s used to surly patients, so there’s no way Matt is going to drive her away with his attitude.
Matt’s life has always been wound up in the rodeo, it’s what he’s always done best. But the accident that killed his fiance and her son has put an end to his career and his guilt over their deaths is putting an end to his life as he knew it. When the pesky housekeeper his mother hired turns her sights on him as her pet project, at first he wants nothing to do with her. He changes his mind, though, when Tori won’t give up and he gets to know her. He’s determined to find out what her horrible secret is and why she gave up her nursing career. Something is changing between them and darned if he doesn’t want to pursue that just a little bit more.
I enjoyed these two characters. They both have a world of hurt to get over, and they end up healing each other while falling in love. I liked the evolution of Matt’s desire for getting out of his wheelchair. It was nonexistent when Tori showed up and then gradually he wants more and more to walk again, taking up the challenge Tori tosses at him. Tori herself eventually opens up to Matt concerning her life, even after he butts in where he doesn’t belong. But that’s what gets these two people to take a good look at what’s happened to them, how they’ve reacted to it all, and how much they’re willing forgive — themselves and others. There’s also a nice setup for the next book in the series.
This is one of those books you can curl up with on a rainy day and feel a little sunshine and goodness in the midst of those down and gray feelings on such days.
See my complete review at http://www.goodbadandunread.com
March 20, 2010
This claims to be a western, but beside the title and the requisite pick-up trucks, there wasn't very much western about it. The generic plot would fit in any setting if the author exchanged pick-up for sedan and khakis for Wranglers. Character development was thin, and the romance failed to capture my attention.
September 17, 2009
I love Judy Duarte's books.
September 25, 2009
Modern
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews