Through the Dust (Black Springs Ranch, #2)

by Amber Palmer

I think they found it attractive at first—how I could hold my own in the arena and kick most of their asses while doing it. But there was some deeply rooted belief that all of that had to go away when a woman settled down. Like suddenly, it was unbecoming. I was never going to be the type to be barefoot and pregnant, turning in my reins for apron strings while my partner was out tending to the things that needed to be done.

She was the opposite of me in so many ways and the embodiment of everything I wanted to be. I’d never met anyone with a wilder spirit or a harder worker. Her stubborn streak rivaled my own, but it was never out of selfishness. At the end of the day, she knew how good she had it, even if it took her a minute to realize it sometimes. She knew what she wanted. If she didn’t, then she faked it until she made it. I could do that, worry less about others’ thoughts and take what I wanted. And what I want is her.