Mary J. McCoy-Dressel

I chose this snippet today from Lassoing the Last Dance to give a little glimpse of Zach Bryson, the hero in my upcoming book, Finding Kimber. His family owns a cattle ranch in Idaho. Every now and then Zach has to get away from his nightmares. Now, he’s visiting his old Army buddy and best friend Randy Drake at Randy’s ranch, the Circle D, in Canyon Junction, AZ. Randy’s ranch borders the Double Dutch Ranch.

Earlier in the day, Zach had gone to the Double Dutch with Randy and met Tristan and his brothers. They were invited to lunch. Randy would’ve declined, but he wanted the guys to get to know his buddy. Knowing him would make it easier to mention to other ranchers that the guy needed a job.

Zach insisted on getting a suite at the hotel. At the end of the day, Randy offered his bike until he found a vehicle. Zach had declined. A sadness seemed to have a hold on his friend. Was there something he wasn’t telling Randy? Or, he went through a bout of memories, and was having a hard time moving past them. Maybe he had a recent breakup. His relationships didn’t last long since the Army. Zach’s mood began to bring Randy down.

By the time they finished working on the stalls in his barn, and Zach had left, he glanced at his watch. It’d be dark soon. He had wanted to work on a painting until light had left the sky, but dusk loomed over the landscape. The mood or inspiration hadn’t come over him anyway, and if he painted something now, it’d be dark and ugly.

Here’s more about Zach from Roxanne’s POV:

Zach came in the back door after smoking a cigarette, poured a cup of coffee, and sat down. One look at Randy and Roxanne, and he got up and left the room. Through the doorway, he could be heard on the phone calling the hotel. Roxanne went to him, leaving Randy brooding at the sink.

“You don’t have to leave, Zach. I’m going back home, and you’ll have the house to yourself while Randy’s at work. You two will have the whole night to catch up.” She placed her hand on his shoulder. “Randy’s thrilled you’re here. Stay.” It took a minute for him to speak, but she waited until he did.

He glanced at Randy through the doorway. “I have to go check out a job. Maybe Randy hadn’t told you yet, but I’m sticking around for a while. He has his life and I have mine. I’ll be getting a room until I can find something better.”

Roxanne observed his disheveled deep-coffee brown hair, his melancholy green eyes, and his toned body. Biceps the size of his were probably envied by many. Woe lurked deep inside of his tall frame. “I’m glad to have met you, and I hope to see you again.”

He stuck out his hand. “You will.” His gaze went to her leg, but he pulled his eyes away. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to stare.”

She shook hands with him. “It’s okay. Everyone does. Randy can fill you in if you ask. Good luck.”

Finding Kimber will be out later this year. It’s back with my editor for a proofread.

Whispers of Forever: Mending Christmas is Book #1 in this spin off series. Finding Kimber is Book #2.

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