It’s been a while since I’ve hosted Velia Armano from the Bull Rider Series for a Short Snippet Saturday post. This one comes from Howdy, Ma’am.
Set-up: A couple days before this snippet, Velia’s father and two of his men had flown in from Chicago to accompany her to court in Tucson, Arizona. While in court the day before this snippet, her ex had threatened her. Her dad sent one of his, ahem, men home with Velia in case Justin followed her back to where she rented an upstairs apartment from an elderly couple. It also happened to be the first night Velia had invited Caulder to dinner. Caulder had arrived right after a horrific incident to find Velia passed out on the floor. This snippet takes place the next morning.
Bull Rider Series 1
Revised from the original to avoid spoilers.
Ric and Lidia Armano arrived at the door the next day. Roy promptly followed his boss to the car where they met Nero. They stood talking for some time.
Later, she walked back and forth from her window to the door, debating on going out. Her mother sat on the bed, watching her pace across the room. Velia’s head pain had eased, but her bruises had worsened. When her mom saw them, she cried, and when her dad saw them, he’d probably send for his lawyer to take care of Justin in court…or otherwise.
Justin.
Why couldn’t he leave well enough alone? What would he have done if Roy hadn’t been here? Would he have hurt Alice and Edward? Would she be alive today?
She wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the chill from the horrible thoughts. Lidia hugged her and Velia cried. Her mother’s familiar, loving arms comforted her, and she let it all out as her mom smoothed her hair and cuddled her like a child.
“Your father will be in soon. You can’t hide from him forever.” She handed Velia a scented lace handkerchief like she’d done when she was small. She inhaled the perfume that spoke madre. Velia wiped her eyes then went to the bathroom to hold a wet washcloth over them and reapplied makeup to the non-swollen eye.
She headed downstairs when Edward let her father inside. Her dad wrapped his arms around her. His eyes misted when he saw the bruises. “He has done this before. I do not understand why you didn’t tell me. You’re a strong woman. Why did you put up with this, Velia?”
Velia wanted to think up a lie, but she had done enough lying while living with Justin.
“Why did you not tell me?”
She whispered, “I know what would’ve happened.”
“Sì, and then…” He pointed to her face. “This would not have happened.”
“I’m sorry.” Velia lowered her voice. “I couldn’t allow something to happen to him.”
“So you sacrificed yourself?” His voice grew louder.
“I suppose. What’s going to happen to Justin now?”
Ric shook his head. “Our lawyer will encourage the prosecutor to ask for time in jail for assault and breaking and entering.”
“But he didn’t break in, padre.”
“Yes, he did. Did he not break in, Roy?” her father asked.
“Yes, sir,” Roy replied. “He nearly broke the door down.”
Velia glanced at Roy. She knew it had to be this way. “He’s a crazy fool. Do you think he’ll get out on bail? I have to leave for my tour with Caulder soon, and I don’t want to worry about Justin following us.”
Ric placed his hand on her shoulder. “I can’t say for sure, but Lauren will do what he can to keep him in jail.”
“If he gets out, I won’t go with Caulder. I’ll be putting him and who knows who else in danger.”
“I understand this, angel, but Justin will never hurt you again.” Ric lowered his voice and embraced her. “You’ll be safe, even if I have to send Roy on tour with you. Si?”
Velia knew if her dad said it, it would be true, but she’d never allow Roy to babysit her on the road. She didn’t want to know what else her dad had planned concerning Justin.
Learn more about the Bull Rider Series on the series page here. Available at Amazon.
Meet Velia on the Meet Our Heroines page.
Read an interview with Velia.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy your weekend.
If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again. ~Flavia Weedn, Flavia and the Dream Maker, ©Flavia.com
How’s your weekend going so far? Coloring Easter eggs? I remember those days. It used to be so much fun to do with the kids, both my own and students. My weekend? Same old, same old, but that isn’t bad. Here I sit at my computer with a document in front of me. I can’t complain. Well, I can complain about things, but I won’t.
Nora’s mind had become unsettled. She glanced at Tristan when he entered his office through the interior door. He wore those damn chaps again. The sexy look of him wearing them lit her up inside. However, she needed to avoid him. She leaned back against her chair and stretched. This morning after her doctor’s appointment, she’d taken a detour to a gift store she’d found online to purchase a special gift for Judy’s birthday next month.
Jase took her hand and led her in the direction of the restaurant, but he released it almost immediately. Not that he wouldn’t have minded holding it longer. He took a big smell of her perfume…shuddered. The door from the hotel was blocked. He glanced her way and shook his head. “I don’t know what’s going on. Normally, you can walk through here.”
Nope, this isn’t Saturday, but it’s a snippet. Read down far enough you’ll find it after a bit of whining. I’ve attempted to write a post all week, but I’ve been living in pain since last Friday, and each day seems worse than the one before. Due to my own stupidity, I injured my back and hip by doing something, well, stupid. The worse part is I knew better than to lift the two extremely heavy blue shopping bags at the same time. I knew better than to try to move a huge, filled ceramic planter on my patio. I rolled, not lifted it, but the bending over position while moving it did me in, I guess.
It feels like it did when I ruptured two disks in my back and suffered from Sciatica some years ago and missed six months of work. It wasn’t until I had a steroid shot in my back, that I found relief and life began again. At this point, I can’t stand and/or walk for even five minutes without pain, and I have to sit down, which means I can’t walk into my doctor’s office, which is a long walk from the parking lot.
Today I decided to post a snippet from 
with until last month returned to the forefront. Enough of this. She stomped on the gas pedal and took the speed up to sixty, and she wasn’t comfortable driving like this on rutted Rocky Road.
Glass shattered as he busted the window with the butt of the rifle. Glass covered her. Her cheek stung. “Get your ass out of there, Roxanne.”
I believe the message from my muse today is to stay on that journey to get to the end of this challenging book I’m writing because I’ve wanted to throw my hands up in the air and start all over. What? Start all over? But, I did start all over, and therein lies the problem. I’ve started over in a book written for a different genre in a different setting. Since I’ve written about this before, I won’t bore you by going over it again, but I finally found my way in this story and it’s close to the end in the first draft. I can enjoy this ride again. To my stubborn little Miss Sexy-Innocence muse, I say thank you for the shove and for figuring it all out.
Mary J. McCoy-Dressel 
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