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Never Let Me Go (These Nevada Boys series, Book 2)
Never Let Me Go (These Nevada Boys series, Book 2)
Never Let Me Go (These Nevada Boys series, Book 2)
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Never Let Me Go (These Nevada Boys series, Book 2)

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Love didn't seem to be in the cards for rancher Reece Walker and photographer Hallie Simpson. Set in the rural area south of Carson City, Nevada, circumstances and family trouble drove them apart. But sparks are wildly re-ignited when Reece and Hallie both end up on a cattle drive sponsored by the Reno Rodeo Association. If they're going to give their love another try, things will have to be different this time around. But will they be? Or will new heartaches shut them down once and for all. He promised to never let her go but if he does this time, she's gone for good.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 10, 2015
ISBN9781311616883
Never Let Me Go (These Nevada Boys series, Book 2)
Author

Jeanne Harrell

Jeanne Harrell is an author who lives and writes romantic stories occurring in the Wild West. Her sweet and relatively innocent Western books include the Rancher series, The Westerners Series and Avila Beach Winery Series. Cowboys, Indians, stagecoaches and John Ford movies captured her interest long ago and held it. She lives in Nevada and captures many beautiful Western scenes with photos, found on her website. What she loves best is to tangle two strong characters, emboil them in conflict and let them hash it out. P.S. Jeanne also writes mysteries as SJ Slagle and children's books as Sinda Cheri Floyd.

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    Never Let Me Go (These Nevada Boys series, Book 2) - Jeanne Harrell

    The sweat-stained Stetson never moved on Reece Walker’s head even when a welcome breeze kicked up and began to blow around the tumbleweeds. Watching them roll, he winced as it hit him that the sagebrush was the same color as Hallie’s pretty hair, so he pulled the hat lower to block out the vision before him. It didn’t work. Looking down, the pale green grass that his horse had been nibbling on was the same color as her eyes.

    The horse stamped his feet impatiently as if to ask what they were still doing here. The setting sun threw out vivid streaks of pink and orange as it slowly sank into the faraway horizon. The hills and surrounding mountains were darkening slowly and Reece took a deep breath of Nevada sage and pinion pine wondering why he was still here too. He’d checked the cattle, fixed the pump and done any number of ranch chores today and could easily turn his horse around and head for home.

    Home.

    Hallie.

    Reece had wanted those two words to fit into one sentence over a year ago, but it hadn’t worked out. So here he sat alone on a horse pawing the ground and stared out at the rolling land before him. The Walker Ranch went on as far as he could see, but that wasn’t as comforting as it usually was -- there was this woman’s face parked right in the middle of his view and he couldn’t shake it loose.

    Hallie Simpson.

    Reece dry rubbed his face, scratched at the scraggly beard wondering when he’d last trimmed it. He pushed the Stetson back off his damp forehead. Feeling slightly lost, he let nostalgic thoughts flow over him as he remembered meeting her for the first time. Only eighteen and a spitfire, her curly, straw-colored hair had singled her out. That and those startling eyes that locked in on him to the exclusion of everything else. He was on the rodeo circuit for a few years back then and she was snaking around taking photographs of all the cowboys preparing for their rides. An area rancher’s daughter, he’d known of her but never met her until she came right up to him when he was in the chute getting ready to ride the meanest bronc in the rodeo that day. He should have been focusing on the horse instead of being in the grip of a laser-sharp look.

    Do you mind if I get a few shots? she’d asked him.

    He shook his head tersely while pulling on his gloves and settling in the saddle. Wondering briefly how she’d gotten in so close, he heard several camera clicks and noticed out of the corner of his eye as a shapely pair of tight jeans leaned this way and that, capturing the moment from different angles. But then the snorting, bucking animal between his legs demanded his undivided attention. The chute opened and he was on stage, in the moment. Trying to hang onto an animal so revved up, that eight seconds seemed more like a lifetime. Reece was battered around like a rag doll by the angry bronc, but hadn’t been bucked off and, after the buzzer sounded, was thrilled as hell to get off this beast by climbing on the back of the horse and rider who’d ridden out to help him.

    Waving to the applauding crowd and back at the chute, Reece brushed off the dust from the arena and glanced up. That slim, young girl with the wild hair was standing on the metal gate holding the camera to her face. When he stopped to look at her, she lowered it and met his curious gaze.

    Don’t you want my picture? he’d asked her. Reece lifted the Stetson off his head and wiped sweat off his brow.

    No. She just stared at him, camera dangling from a leather strap around her neck.

    Well, what do you want?

    Pause. I think… I want… you.

    Hallie’s hazel eyes widened like saucers and Reece was sure his had too. Her face turned crimson and she clapped a hand over her mouth. She climbed down quickly and ran off before Reece could say another word. He had been utterly stunned at her comment and frozen in place. When he finally thawed and his mind began to work again, he looked around but she was long gone.

    That was eight years ago.

    When the stars came out to play, Reece’s phone jingled in his pocket. He pulled it out and sighed. His horse’s head shot up still chewing on blades of grass.

    Walker.

    … Reece. Pax here. Where are you?

    I’m in the south part of the property. Just checked the cattle and am heading in. Why?

    Katy and I want you to come over for supper tonight. Why are you still out there? It’s late.

    Reece wasn’t sure how to answer that. …Felt like it, I guess.

    Come over. You haven’t seen the kids in a few weeks and they miss their uncle.

    Reece smiled. Sure. I’ll be there in thirty minutes. And Pax?

    Yeah?

    Thanks.

    No problem, bro.

    * * *

    CHAPTER 2

    Hallie Simpson stood in her airy photography studio looking around and smiling at all the photographs she’d taken. Portraits of families, kids in sports uniforms, weddings and receptions. For the past five years, she’d worked steadily to build her business from the ground up and seemed to finally be achieving the kind of success she’d always wanted. She was busy enough now that she’d had to hire another photographer, sometimes two, to accommodate all the business that was coming her way. Her studio, located in downtown Reno by a lively casino, was a popular place and her profit margin was expanding.

    But glancing around her gallery with a few minutes to kill, Hallie’s eyes skimmed over an older photo in a series of rodeo shots of a bronc rider who had captivated the audience with his wild ride and captivated her with his sheer tenacity and gentleness. Displayed casually as if it weren’t important, the photo never failed to capture her attention.

    Hallie stood in the middle of the immense gallery with pictures shouting their importance from every corner and stared at the little photo remembering what had happened next. She and that bronc rider had hopscotched across each other’s lives for the next few years. They’d spot one another at dances, rodeos, church events, and any number of community functions, but rarely spoke. Hallie hid with her girlfriends whenever he was around and he pretended not to notice her. Getting stuck together in an elevator one time only caused both their faces to flush with embarrassment.

    Two years ago, on her twenty-fourth birthday, Reece put an end to their haphazard, accidental meetings and had asked her out to dinner. She’d hesitatingly agreed and would never in a million years forget how he looked when he showed up at her door for the first time.

    Reece was everything and all at once. It was sensory overload. She knew he would be – a big reason why she’d stayed away from him for so long. Tall, several inches over six feet, he wore a Western shirt the color of the sun stretched over broad shoulders and tight, dark blue Wranglers. His boots looked polished and he took off the big black Stetson. His medium brown hair was combed back in a mass of small waves. A trimmed beard and mustache complemented the angular planes of his handsome face. Pools of melted chocolate swept a satisfied look over her, pinning her in place like a butterfly caught in a net. Never in all the time they were together did those eyes ever look at any other woman the way they looked at her. Hallie always felt important and beautiful, as she’d basked in his adoring gaze.

    Reece was the same man whether he was a bronc rider or a Nevada rancher. Meticulous and methodical in his work, he was loving and proprietary with her. He’d made it known from their first date that she was his and no one else’s. What had surprised Hallie was how easily she accepted this as fact and never even questioned his right to do so. For an independent woman used to calling the shots, that attitude shocked the hell out of her. From her experience, controlling men were to be avoided at all costs.

    Hallie Simpson had never been any man’s conquest and had successfully outmaneuvered cleverer men than Reece Walker. But she didn’t want to maneuver him, if she’d been able to. And, for a while, she wanted what he wanted, until it became clear that she didn’t. When it all came out in the wash, they’d wanted very different things in life and there’d been an abrupt parting.

    She remembered that night like it was yesterday. It had been both sweet and bitter. She and Reece had spent a wonderful evening with his family out at the ranch by Jake’s Valley and he’d taken her home to her apartment in Reno. He’d been hinting that his house on the ranch was big enough for another person, but she’d kept him at bay about that. The one topic they always agreed on was sex.

    When he walked her to the door, she tugged his shirt and playfully dragged him inside. Hallie was ready to get down and dirty with her gentleman rancher, which pleased him no end.

    Just inside the door, she’d cupped his handsome face in her hands and leaned up to kiss him. The shape and firmness of his lips always thrilled her but she teased him this time brushing her lips on his for a few minutes. Reece clasped her butt with both hands and pulled her closer to him. Pressed hard against a rock solid man who meant business changed Hallie’s mind and she wound her arms around his neck. He peppered her face with long, wet kisses that left her weak in the limbs but heated with desire. Tiny flicks of his teeth prompted her mouth to open and his tongue slipped inside. His flavor burst in her mouth -- coffee, mints and the sweet taste of Reece.

    Not willing to move any farther, he’d been stripping off her clothes as quickly as he could without moving his hungry mouth from hers. Once she was bare, he’d swiftly unzipped and dropped his jeans where they stood. Hallie slowly unsnapped his shirt driving him crazy with anticipation. When she finally finished at long last, she chuckled in his mouth as he picked her up to wind her legs around his waist and walked her back against the door. With his shaft buried deep within, Reece began the thrusting that would take her away into fantasyland. With his arm keeping her in place and the other massaging her breast, her mouth left a hot trail down the side of his neck. A whimpering moan rumbled in his throat as he speeded up and Hallie could feel herself splinter into a million pieces. Letting go, she arched back and Reece made a love bite in her neck just before he came apart inside her.

    Shivering, with rubbery legs, they collapsed on the floor with arms still wrapped around one another. Hallie laid her head on his solid chest. Reece gently brushed the hair from her face and kissed the top of her head.

    Longing…

    Desire…

    It was all there when she heard the steady beating of his heart.

    Hallie, sweetheart?

    …Mmm. What? Her lips murmured against his chest.

    I love you so damn much my heart hurts.

    Turning her head to look into his loving eyes, Hallie saw what she needed to see – a man who would love her forever, be there for her in sickness and health. A man she could have a family with and grow old together contentedly. Reece was the complete package.

    Her smile brought out his breathtaking one. I love you too, Reece. I knew years ago that you were the only man for me. She hugged him tighter. Please… never let me go.

    Squeezing her, he lifted her chin to kiss her softly on the lips. … Never. He’d said it. Reece had really said it and she knew he meant it.

    Hallie shivered now, thinking of the words they’d shared that night and the plans they tried to make. They’d gone into the bedroom, made love again and the mood was euphoric until…

    Honey, why can’t you move in with me? I don’t understand your reluctance.

    She sat up in bed, gesturing with her hands, trying to explain. I’d love to, Reece, but the ranch is so far from Reno. It would be an hour’s drive to my studio and an hour home every night. That’s a two-hour drive every workday. With all the other travel I have to do for jobs, I’d be living in my car.

    Could you relocate to Carson City? That’s forty-five minutes closer to the ranch.

    I’ve worked my ass off to get established in Reno and most of my client base is there. I’m picking up more business everyday and I’ve added two new photographers to handle the overflow.

    And that’s wonderful. It just doesn’t… Reece stopped, brows knit and eyes narrowed. …Where does that leave us? I want us to have a life together.

    Your life’s on the ranch and mine… She trailed off, eyes nervously darting away.

    … Isn’t with me, except for a few dates here and there. Reece cupped her chin to bring her gaze back to him. Isn’t that right, Hallie?

    She swallowed hard, clutching at the comforter. The ground below started to buckle and sway.

    Reece--

    Honey, look at me.

    Hallie reluctantly raised moist lashes to look directly into his steady gaze.

    I want us to get married and have a family. Don’t you want that too?

    Yes! She flailed her hands around. Of course, but does it have to happen this minute? Couldn’t I get more established and then we could get to all of that?

    How long do you want me to wait? Six months? A year? Two years?

    When it was obvious she couldn’t respond, Reece had slowly folded back the covers, got up and gotten dressed. Hallie rubbed her damp neck and wiped her clammy hands on the sheets. Reece?

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