Beth Walsh is a hopeless romantic, except when it comes to her own love life. In her opinion, love is best left to the storybooks. But when a few nosy octogenarians decide to play matchmaker, she grasps for the only excuse she can think of to avoid another set up.
Set against the backdrop of Loveland's historic Valentine's Day letter re-mailing program, Tye and Beth must work together to convince the town of their rekindled romance. But Tye has his own plans of winning back the woman who got away.
Might it finally be time for Beth to risk her heart again?
Purchase at: Amazon.
Excerpt (Chapter 2):
If you close your eyes and listen, really listen, then you might just hear the whispers of heaven. All that’s required is that we slow down enough to hear that sweet song of peace.
~ Letter from a friend
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“Whoa, there! Steady.” Mike grabbed the reins and tried to soothe the animal before it took Tye’s head off.
“You got her this time?” Tye wiped the sweat from his face and tried to focus on the horse in front of him.
Towels, check. Calcium test strips, check. Fresh hay, check. Helmet… Tye would add that to the list for next time.
“I think I can see the head. Just keep her calm, and I’ll pull the foal out.” He released his hold on the mare and waited for the owner to get his Appaloosa under control.
There were a lot of things Tye hadn’t expected when he’d taken on the position of large animal veterinarian at Sweetheart Animal Hospital. It was one thing to work on horses and alpacas under the supervision of his professors, but it was another thing entirely when the weight of responsibility fell solely on his own shoulders.
What surprised him most, though, was how many of the surrounding ranches already had him on speed dial. Officially, he wasn’t set to start until next week, but the town must have gotten wind of his early arrival and set the phone tree ringing. Already, he’d untangled a lamb from a barbed-wire fence, popped in on a goat yoga retreat for a hoof-related emergency, and rescued a dairy cow who found herself stuck between two trees in search of the greenest grass in the pasture. And now, he was elbow-deep in his first unsupervised foal delivery.
“I think she’s ready.” Mike stroked the mare’s mane and spoke to her in soothing tones, coaxing her to relax so she wouldn’t accidentally hurt either herself or the foal.
Tye monitored the mare, checking for any complications or abnormalities that could pose a risk to either of his equine patients. According to her records, Daisy’s last foal had been born breech. He was ready to intervene in case another emergency presented itself this time.
Tye was already preparing an epidural when the first hoof appeared.
“Not again.” Mike knelt on the hay, and Tye was right there administering the medication. A few minutes later, he was able to reposition the foal, and the rest of the delivery went without another hitch.
After a thorough inspection, Tye released his newest patient, and within half an hour, she was already attempting to stand and greet her mother.
“Well, would you look at that.” Mike gave Tye a congratulatory slap on the back, a sheen of moisture gathering in his eyes. “Before you know it, she’ll be off racing with some mustang, causing all sorts of trouble.”
Tye laughed as the older gentleman sent him a rueful grin. No doubt he was referring to his experience raising three teenage daughters. “You talking about the horse or something else there, Mike?”
The man pushed back the brim of his baseball cap and squinted into the sunlight. “I don’t rightfully know. But tell me what you think when you get to be my age and have a daughter of your own.” He chuckled to himself. A few tufts of gray hair poked from underneath the worn fabric. His kids might have been a handful, but there was no doubt the man loved his family.
Tye relaxed against the metal gate and smiled as he watched the mare and her foal. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
For the next half hour, Tye stayed in the barn to observe the two horses while Mike went about his other work on the ranch. As he stood there, leaning against the rough, wooden beams, Tye’s mind wandered past the barn walls and to his recent return to the Front Range. Coming back to Colorado had brought with it all the old memories—good and bad.
It had been his dream to work in the city, and thanks to his brother, Micah, he didn’t have to worry about who would help their mom with the family ranch. But despite his promising career, there was one major thing he wished he could have done differently. One person he’d never meant to hurt by leaving.
He believed in second chances, believed God brought him back here for a reason. He only hoped it wasn’t too late to make things right with Beth.
“You planning on sprouting roots and staying there?” Mike’s loud voice echoed as he entered the barn, a bale of hay thrown over his shoulder. “I’ve been gone, what, forty minutes, and you haven’t so much as moved a muscle.”
Tye looked back at the stall where the foal was standing on wobbly legs and nursing. “Just making sure everyone’s healthy.”
“They both look fine to me.” Mike dropped the bale by the door and crossed his arms over the gate. “Why don’t you head on back home and wash up? I’ll make sure to keep an eye on these two and let you know if any problems arise.”
“I guess that’s my cue to leave, then.” Tye chuckled. He gathered his supplies and loaded them into the truck. “But I’ll be back next week to check on them,” he called as he closed the tailgate.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Mike gave him a friendly handshake and waved him off down the dirt road toward town.
Warm air pumped into the cold cab space as his truck ate up the miles of grass and shrub-lined road. At the feet of the Rocky Mountains, the small town of Loveland was just a stone’s throw away from several of Colorado’s national parks, ski resorts, and the big city all in one. But at its core, it was a country town, through and through.
Maybe that was an apt description for Tye’s life as well. He’d been drawn to the city ever since he could remember, but despite his better attempts, his heart belonged in the country, with all its bucolic beauty and spirit.
You could take the boy out of the country, but you couldn’t take the country out of the boy. And no one could remove a certain red-head from Tye’s heart, not even that letter she’d sent him three years ago.
—————
Dear Tye,
Take care, Beth
Contemporary romance author Alyssa Schwarz is a graduate of the Colorado School of Mines with a Master's in Geology & Geological Engineering. She also works as a professional watercolor artist along the Colorado Front Range and is a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). Alyssa's debut novel, The Glass Cottage, is set in the Colorado mountains, and is the first book in her new series, A Prescott Family Romance. You can find her online at www.alyssaschwarzauthor.com.
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