A
Country Kind of Love
Huckleberry
Ridge Romance, #1
by
K.T. Raine
Genre:
Clean Contemporary Romance
Second chances ... and the secrets that sabotage them.
CeCe Bixby's life is in flux. After being abandoned by her husband six years earlier she's managed to cope by focusing on her work as a reporter and on being a good mom to her young son. When her name is leaked in connection with a dangerously controversial story, a fresh start in small town Huckleberry Ridge, Idaho feels safe ... until she meets her new landlord, a handsome widower who just may wield the key to her tightly sealed heart.
Shane Wickham is shackled with regret. Ever since playing an unintentional role in his wife's death, he's denied himself a second chance at happiness. But once he meets his attractive but fearful new tenant, he feels compelled to help her, and his firm resolve to keep his distance begins to crumble.
Despite an undeniable attraction to Shane, CeCe is terrified to lower her guard and expose herself and her son to the risk of more heartbreak. And though Shane secretly longs to put yesterday behind him, his guilt won't allow him to pursue the possibility of new love.
Can they find a way to forge a future together, or will regret and deception doom the chance to repair two damaged hearts?
A Country Kind of Love is the heartwarming first book in the Huckleberry Ridge Romance series. If you enjoy clean, feel-good stories with relatable heroines and swoon worthy heroes, then you'll love K.T. Raine's tender tale.
Buy A Country Kind of Love for your happy ever after today!
**On Sale for only .99 cents 2/13 – 2/17!!**
A Country Kind of Love Excerpt
“Take the next left,” Cody commanded, pointing for emphasis, his tone making it clear just how much the ten year-old relished calling the shots.
CeCe raised a hand from the steering wheel long enough to salute her son. “Roger that.” She slowed, hugging the narrow shoulder of the county road to allow a hay-laden pickup truck to pass before carefully swinging the Durango wide to make the turn onto Tompkins Road. “What’s next, boss?”
Cody eyed his phone. “Stay on Tompkins for half a mile, then take a left onto Snowberry Lane. Then our destination will be on the right.”
“Wonderful,” CeCe said, the simple word not even close to expressing the depth of her relief. After 415 miles, she could survive one more. She sat a little straighter as the oppressive weight of anxiety began to lift from her aching shoulders. Another few minutes and they’d finally be home—well, to their new home anyway.
The two day trip from Boise to Huckleberry Ridge, Idaho, had been quite the slog for someone who’d never pulled a trailer in her life. CeCe had given away a number of belongings she didn’t want to, just so the remaining things would fit in a 12 foot cargo trailer. Anything larger would have required her to drive a U-Haul truck and tow the SUV behind—a terrifying and totally unacceptable prospect.
Even the 12 footer made the steering and braking sluggish and slow to respond, and CeCe had spent the whole journey white-knuckled, expecting a blown tire, engine trouble—something—to go wrong at any moment. Thank goodness most of the trip had been freeway miles, with the most traumatic part maneuvering through gas stations.
Cody’s sulking hadn’t made the trip any less painful, serving only to reinforce CeCe’s knowledge that she wasn’t a good mother. A good mother wouldn’t spring a surprise move on her son, uprooting him from the only home he’d ever known with a made up explanation and only ten days’ notice. A good mother would know how to soothe his frustration and resentment, how to make her only child happy. Sometimes it felt as though CeCe’s life had become one big pile of parental guilt.
But things were going to be better in Huckleberry Ridge. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself.
CeCe studied the passing scenery as they puttered along Tompkins Road, marveling at the difference in climate from one end of the state to the other. It was September 6, still summer back in Boise with daytime temperatures near 80 degrees. But up here in the north, the gorgeous fall colors were already in full display, the gold, crimson and red leaves glistening under a blue-bird sky as if they were trying to out shine each other. The outdoor temperature gauge showed 64 degrees. Not too hot, not too cold. Perfect.
The internet described Huckleberry Ridge as a friendly, safe, rural community of 10,000, surrounded by the Kootenai national forest and crisscrossed with endless hiking and biking trails. A sportsman’s and outdoor lover’s paradise.
No question about the rural part. The town was surrounded by gently mounded hills full of pine and aspen, with steeper, heavily forested peaks behind. Small pastures dotted with grazing cattle, deep, wide ditches full of wild flowers, lots of four-wheel drives and two-lane roads. A Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy interspersed with lots of little mom and pops.
She was starting to believe the friendly part as well. Two people had waved as they rolled through the main street in town. The first time CeCe figured it must be a fluke, the person mistaking them for someone else. Then it happened again a block later. She’d been too surprised to wave back. Not that Boise was unfriendly. But in a city of a quarter million people … well, strangers didn’t generally wave.
And as for the community’s claim to safety—well, CeCe could only pray that part was true, too.
“This is Snowberry,” Cody announced a moment later, gesturing left. “Turn. What are snowberries anyway?”
CeCe didn’t answer for a moment, her focus on driving. The side roads around Huckleberry Ridge were definitely narrower than she was used to, most with little to no shoulder and fairly steep drop-offs. All she needed was to turn the trailer over the last quarter mile of their journey. She successfully completed the turn, but swerved too late to avoid the generous pothole in her lane.
Cody made an exaggerated grab for the dashboard as they bounced through it. “Jeez, Mom!”
“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t see it in time.” She puffed out a breath. “Anyway, a snowberry is a native shrub that produces little white berries.” She didn’t bother to add her knowledge came from Google. Maybe she’d score a point for being smart. These days she was sorely in need of points when it came to Cody. “Related to the honeysuckle,” she added.
“Can you eat ‘em?”
“Nope. Not unless you’re a bird. But hopefully we’ll get to enjoy lots of huckleberries.”
Cody wrinkled his nose. “Are those the big, bumpy black ones?”
“You’re thinking of blackberries. Huckleberries are the little purple ones. You’ve eaten them, you just forgot.”
“Oh, yeah, that pie Penny made us, right?”
CeCe felt a pang. Too bad she couldn’t have thrown her best friend in the U-Haul. She missed her already. “Yep. Those were huckleberries.”
She eagerly scanned ahead on the sparsely populated road, locating the duplex a few seconds before the phone announced their arrival. Her heart sped up. Sitting a little way back from the road, the blue and white duplex stood out like a small oasis in a sea of giant pines and firs. It looked well maintained and clean, with two single attached garages in the middle to put space between the units, and short, straight driveways leading to both. Excitement buzzed through CeCe’s fingertips. “There it is! Ours is the one on the right. It looks a little bigger than it did on the rental website, huh?”
Cody shrugged, seemingly unimpressed. “Looks like a house, I guess.” Then his hazel eyes flared and he leaned forward fast enough to make his seatbelt lock. “Hey, why is there a cop car parked at the other place?”
CeCe’s head jerked up. “What? Where do you … Oh.” Her breath quickened. How in the world had she missed the intimidating black and white SUV with Idaho State Police boldly emblazoned along its side? She willed herself to stay calm. Only Penny, and a few other trusted individuals knew she was moving to Huckleberry Ridge. CeCe had signed the rental lease under her maiden name of Bixby. Besides, she reminded herself, she had no reason to fear the police. Keeping part of your life private was not a crime.
Big
Love In A Small Town
Huckleberry
Ridge Romance, #2
Why does starting over have to be so hard?
Sweet and gregarious Penny Barron was just sure handsome Gus Amherst was finally "the one." But after his protective streak evolves to controlling and then abusive, she decides enough is enough. When her childhood friend CeCe gets in an accident and needs some temporary care, Penny figures this is her opportunity. She leaves Gus a goodbye note and flees Boise for small town Huckleberry Ridge, Idaho, to be near CeCe and make a fresh start.
When Gus decides he's not ready to let Penny go and shows up in Huckleberry Ridge unannounced, CeCe's neighbor, police officer and confirmed bachelor, Josh Wickham, comes to her rescue. Both are surprised by the spark of attraction that steadily grows between them. But Penny is carrying a secret guaranteed to wreck any new relationship ... which is exactly what happens when she finally reveals it to Josh.
Is there still a chance for love to bloom? Or has Penny's deception ruined her second chance forever?
Book 2 in the Huckleberry Ridge Romance series.
Okay, so I admit it, I'm a true romantic at heart, and I've always been a sucker for a good, clean love story with a happy ending. My favorite stories involve spunky but sweet heroines, strong, swoon-worthy guys who aren't afraid to take charge ... oh, and a dog in the mix never hurt either. So guess what? Those are the type of stories I write! Just in case you're curious, I live in the beautiful mountains of North Idaho with my hubby of 30 years and our adorable Beagle mix Stella, one of the many rescue pups I've adopted over the years.
When I'm not reading or plotting my next novel, I enjoy spending time with my family, gardening, going for hikes, or soaking in my hot tub--hands down the best place to read--print anyway. I do housework when I must and laundry when we run out of clean underwear. So enough about me. If you want to know more visit my website at www.ktraineromance.com. Want to be notified of new releases? Sign up for my once-a-month Dog-gone Short and Sweet Newsletter, which is indeed short and sweet and always contains a picture of a dog guaranteed to make you smile. In the meantime, pick up one of my books and get your swoon on!
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