Today, I’ve invited Susan Spess to do a guest post about her new Christian romance novel, Jordan Valley Roundup. Before you read about the novel, get to know Susan a little bit.
Susan was born when her parents lived in the town of Old Mannford, which is no more. The whole town up and moved when Keystone Lake was formed.
She grew up and went to school in Cleveland, Oklahoma, then went to college in Joplin at Ozark Bible College, where she cheered for the basketball team and got to know all kinds of people, most of whom amazed her.
She met her hubby, Gary, on a blind date and married him five months later. They had three sons. Gary passed away in 2020, three years short of their golden.
To learn more about Susan or her books, you can visit her website or follow her on social media using the links below:
Website: http://susanspess.com
Instagram: @sshay74020
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SusanSpessShay
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/shaywriter
Susan’s latest book, Jordan Valley Roundup, was released in July. You can read about it and find links to order it below.
Summary:
While barrel racing to earn enough to pay her uncle’ s debts, Jessie Cobler’s horse falls. She cries out to God, certain she’s about to die, but the quick action of Mitch Tanner saves her life. She accepts an offer to stay on the cowboy’s family’ s ranch so she and her horse can rest and heal. It’s the perfect place to hide from those who threaten to tear her dreams apart.
Bull rider Mitch Tanner is determined to earn professional status to honor his deceased father, but running a ranch and helping with his younger siblings leaves time for little else. Having Jessie on the ranch is a distraction he can’t afford. After all, he doesn’t have time for love.
As Mitch and Jesse work together to rescue abused animals will Mitch discover there’s more to life than earning a status? Will he be able to help heal Jesse’s broken heart and spirit and lead her to the Lord?
Excerpt:
Focusing on the ride, she walked Buck into position. The excitement built, adrenalin shooting through her muscles like lightning strikes.
Tugging her Stetson low so there was no chance of losing it, she leaned into the saddle, took a firm grip on the reins, inhaled, and blew it out long and slow until her lungs were empty. Finally, she booted him in the ribs.
He took off in an explosion of energy while she leaned into the run. She concentrated on the first barrel, the cheers of the crowd dimming to near silence. Spectator faces blurred past as they rounded the second barrel. Yes! It felt good. This was where she belonged.
Buck ran flat out as they charged the third turn. Heading into the pocket, he dug in, and the world shifted. Dipped. She snatched a breath and held tight to the saddle horn, her heart pounding as he fought for footing in the loose earth. She gave him his head, hoping, by some miracle, he could stay on his feet.
Buck’s back left leg slid from under them. Fear ripped through her as they dropped, then slammed into the ground. The saddle horn jerked from her grip. He floundered, trying to get up. She kicked her foot free and tried to shove away from the panicked animal, but she couldn’t move. Her left leg was under him.
Stories of riders killed from similar falls flashed through her mind. Buck fought his way to his feet, yanking her leg high in the air with her foot through the stirrup and leaving her head on the ground.
His shod hooves cut so close, he kicked dirt in her face as he danced with anxiety. If she could catch her breath, make him hear her, he might calm. But she couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t find words to ease him. He threw his head back, gathering himself as he looked for a way to escape the nightmare.
Slamming shut her eyes, she wrapped her arms around her head.
God! Help me.
Purchase Links:
Fun Tidbits from Susan
I was at a rodeo a few years ago when a barrel racer’s horse fell with her, just like I’ve written about. The cowboys watching from the fence nearby were immediately there to stop the horse from hurting her. It has always stayed with me how those men risked their lives to help a fellow competitor. Christian Cowboys are a favorite of mine.
I dedicated this book to my forever friend, Dr. Cathy Barkley. I don’t remember a time when we weren’t friends. Cathy is an artist as well as a mathematician. She mentioned to me not long ago that we’d both arrived at the goal we had as children—her a (fabulous) artist, and me an author. I hope you enjoy Jordan Valley Roundup.
