Betting the Farm
by Annie Evans
ebook, 126 pages
Published August 13th 2014
by Ellora's Cave
ISBN139781419991219
Betting the Farm
Clay Hearts, Book One
Fritz Carter has carved out a
nice life in his hometown of Serenity, Georgia. Together with his brothers,
they’ve made the family farm more successful than ever.
Fritz wants for very little—save for the girl he’d loved
in high school. The girl who’d left Serenity
behind…left
Fritz behind as well.
The girl who just sauntered into
the local dive bar, looking all woman and hotter than ever.
Fritz would have to be blind not
to want Kai back in his bed. He’d also have to be
stupid to give her his heart. Not again. Not right away. They’ve both changed, and past hurts haven’t healed as well as either had thought. A few sultry
summer nights in Kai’s arms don’t equal love…even if his heart says
otherwise.
Purchase links:
Ellora’s Cave: http://www.ellorascave.com/betting-the-farm.html
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Betting-Farm-Hearts-Annie-Evans-ebook/dp/B00MNHHUR4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1407954499&sr=1-1&keywords=Annie+Evans
Kobo:
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/betting-the-farm-1
Book 2:
October 10, 2014
Straddling the Fence
Clay Hearts, Book Two
Turned down for her dream job,
large-animal vet Bellamy Haile is determined to drown her sorrows at the bottom
of a tequila bottle—and underneath the ripped bod of the gorgeous stranger
she just met in the liquor store. She’ll have time enough to nurse mild regret later, when
she takes over her uncle’s small practice in Serenity, Georgia.
Settled into an old house
bequeathed by her grandmother, Bellamy doesn’t expect one of her first vet calls to bring her
face-to-face with her one-night stand. Eli Carter happens to live nearby…and he’s more than willing to pick
up where they left off.
As Eli and his family welcome her
into their hearts and homes, Bellamy experiences a sort of love and acceptance
she’s never
known. But even hot nights in Eli’s bed may not be enough to make her choose small-town
Serenity when a second chance at her dream job comes calling
Add to GR link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23179697-straddling-the-fence
In truth, Eli had already given Bellamy a push, metaphorically speaking, although that probably wasn’t his intention. Any hesitancy she’d felt at getting involved with him vanished the second she spied the repaired swing. Maybe even upon encountering the closed gate. And she couldn’t forget the concern he’d shown for her living conditions last Saturday. The frown he’d tried to chase away but kept returning to darken his eyes and set his mouth in a tense line. It wasn’t as if she was living in squalor, but she could admit it was scant. To an outsider it might appear lonely and disconcerting. Temporary.
Isn’t it?
Admittedly, she did miss some material things—the huge comfy bean-bag chair she’d sat in to read, her old bed with its wrought iron frame she’d found at a yard sale for fifty bucks, and a few other odds and ends that didn’t make the trip because of space constraints. Renting a moving truck would’ve cost money she didn’t have to spare, and her mom and dad couldn’t be troubled to shorten their trip and offer help of any sort.
She’d outright lied to Eli when she told him her parents weren’t the overly involved type. The truth was they were emotionally negligent. She’d never wanted for anything growing up except their attention, their genuine involvement in her life. To feel like they cared about what happened to her instead of always wondering if she’d been an afterthought. A reproductive concession to satisfy some societal, parental or sibling pressure, not a sincere desire for a child.
Down deep inside, Bellamy knew her parents loved her, but they were selfish in expressing the sentiment in ways that really mattered. This was why getting to spend summers and holidays with her grandparents had meant so much. Here she’d felt wanted, loved and nurtured. Like she belonged. In some ways, she supposed it fed her through the months in between visits. Gave her something to look forward to.
Her phone chimed with a return message, jarring her from the depressing thoughts and back to the moment.
Be there in 10.
She dropped the phone back into her pocket, let go a shaky breath, and kicked the flip-flops aside to drag her toes through the cool, dew-dampened grass. Let her mind focus on the tickling sensation instead of the fast, anticipatory thud of her heart as she tried hard not to count off the minutes in her head.
It didn’t dawn on her until she heard the approaching whine of the big tires on his pickup that she’d locked the gate behind her earlier. She waited for him to call, but he must’ve kept a spare key for himself or hid one somewhere because after a brief pause headlights flashed through the side of the yard and then he was parking behind her raggedy car.
Bellamy closed her eyes and listened for the soft shush-shush-shush of his footsteps through the grass as he drew nearer. Beneath her palms, the rope was hard and slightly abrasive since it hadn’t been handled in years. The night air was crisp, but still held enough humidity for it to feel moist against the bare skin of her legs. When his footsteps ceased and she could sense him in front of her, she opened her eyes.
He was wearing the same cream-colored western shirt he’d had on the night they met in Perry. Heat instantly gathered between her hipbones. Forevermore that shirt, or anything similar in color or style, would be a turn-on for her. Fabric washed to a fine softness, traces of his aftershave clinging to the collar. The tanned expanse of his forearms and throat stark against the lighter shade. Pearl snaps that came apart easily at her frenzied urging, the sound an immediate and lasting aphrodisiac. Simple, really. Just a shirt on a handsome man, yet Eli made the experience unique and unforgettable.
Moonlight turned his dark hair silvery across the crown of his head and cast his face mostly in shadow. If she didn’t know him better, he’d look threatening, intimidating. His lips parted as if he wanted to say something before he closed them and stepped behind her.
She waited for his hands to grasp her hips and push, nearly shivering in the interval, but instead they covered hers around the rope. He pressed his face to her hair at the back of her neck, and even through the thickness of the strands, she could feel his breaths warm her skin. Goosebumps rose along her arms. Her nipples grew tight beneath her gown. Arousal pooled low in her belly, spreading slow like honey through her core.
When his mouth found her ear, he whispered, “Every girl needs a swing.”
Bellamy had to bite her lip hard to stifle a gasp of emotion. It took her a moment to recover enough to respond. “Thank you is woefully inadequate.”
“It’s enough, Bell. Just being here with you is enough.”
It wasn’t enough for her, but how could you express to someone that they’d given you the best parts of your childhood back? How did you put into words the feeling of not having a care in the world except how high you could fly?
About Annie Evans:
A simple country girl who adores
living in the South, I enjoy spending time in the great outdoors, biking and
working out with my hubby, reading, and, of course, writing. I believe the most
important thing you can do for a child, outside of loving them unconditionally,
is to put a book in their hands. My favorite authors include Flannery O’Conner, Harper Lee, Gillian Flynn, Megan Hart, Cara
McKenna, and Anne Calhoun, just to name a few. You won’t find
me on social media much because I think that’s time
better spent writing, but I’d love to hear
what you thought of my books, so shoot me a line at
annieevans.writerATgmailDOTcom.
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