Hello to you all. It’s the weekend!
Oh, you want to know where I’ve been? I’ve been far away from my blog, that’s for sure, but when I have a book ready to come out, I’m totally consumed by the process. I’m doing the final read-through on my Kindle. It’s amazing what you hear when Kindle reads your manuscript to you. Anyway, I’m on the countdown now to my formatting date…ten, nine, eight…actually it’s only two more days. Lassoing the Last Dance is in the very final stages.
But today I bring you a not-so-short excerpt from Heartbreak’s Reward. I’m choosing to provide an excerpt from this book because the book is on sale and I’m one of the authors participating in The Kindle Book Review Spring Fling.
 Enter the SPRING FLING Giveaway and WIN 1-Year #AmazonPrime, Kindles, or gift cards. https://wp.me/P2H01p-6xF
Jase Carlson is the oldest brother at the Double Dutch Ranch. He’s a favorite hero, but Randy Drake from Lassoing the Last Dance is giving him a run for the money. Good thing they’re good friends. đ Jase’s cousin Caulder from my Bull Rider Series makes his appearance in this book.
This excerpt comes from Chapter One. Jase and his brother Tristan left the courthouse after Jase was awarded soul custody of his two kids. Jase has a good reason for not trusting his ex-wife to return the kids to him on the following weekend.  Enjoy. (A bit of cursing is involved in the excerpt.)
Once they rolled into the neighborhood, Tristan checked the number on Jaseâs phone. âIt should be right up here, according to the GPS.â He checked each address as they passed. âThere,â he said, pointing to the left.
âThereâs no curtains on the windows, Trist.â
âSonofabitch.â Tristan flung his seatbelt off and hit his palm against the dashboard.
âShe doesnât even live here?â Jase released the clutch and jumped out, ran up to the windows, and peered inside. âThereâs nothing in here. Not a damn thing.â
Tristan followed him to the house, shaking his head. âShe either moved before court, or lied to her lawyer again. You sure you got the right address?â
âI got the right address.â He went back to the truck for his phone. âI have to call Tom.â He paced in front of his truck, and said to Tristan, âShe lied about everything, and has no intention of bringing the kids back.â
Jase left a message for his lawyer and hung up. A neighbor walked from across the street. âYou all looking for somebody?â
âYeah, the woman who lived here.â Jase sauntered up to the man and pointed back at the house. Either a nosy neighbor or someone who might be able to help.
âAh, sheâs gone. Packed up last weekend and moved out. Canât say I was sorry to see them go.â The man pointed across the street to another house. âI stood right there and watched.â
âA woman with two kids?â asked Jase, his voice already quivering.
âThatâs right.â The neighbor turned to go.
Tristan called after the man. âWait. How many people lived here? I meanâŠdid the woman have a man with her.â
âA couple guys. WellâŠâ The man hesitated.
Jase took a step forward. âTheyâre my kids and that was my wife.â
The neighbor folded his arms and stared at the ground. âWell, she lived there with her husbandâŠor so I thought. The other guyâŠwell, he just lived there.â
âI was her husband,â said Jase, âuntil today. What about the kids? Two of themâŠa boy and a girl.â He held his palm flat to indicate their height.
âNope, they all moved out. Cute kids, too. Well-behaved. Their dadâsorry. The guy watched them sometimes.â
Tristan asked the man, âYou donât happen to have any photos, do you? Maybe of the asshole pretending to be their dad?â
The man shook his head. âNo, nothing like that.â
Jase weakened. Shook his head. Diverted his eyes. âThanks, man.â He headed for the truck and got in the passenger side. He waited for his brother and handed him the keys. He slouched down in the seat and lowered his hat over his eyes.
Tristan backed out of the driveway in Tucson and headed back home toward Canyon Junction. Most of the trip was spent in silence until they stopped to eat. He turned to Tristan. âSome asshole I donât know watched my kids. Iâll find themâŠand him. I swear I will. Not even God can help him if he hurts my babies.â
End of Excerpt. Thanks for reading.
Keep an eye out for Lassoing the Last Dance. It’ll be live and available soon.
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Mary J. McCoy-Dressel 
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