BETWEEN HOME & HEARTBREAK (Gambling Hearts, book 2)
Who is Eldorado Jane? Long-lost friend or scheming Wild West superstar?
Texas Hill Country – 1879
Plain Jane Dority vanished while riding in a storm beside her childhood best friend. Eighteen years later, Wild West trick-riding superstar Eldorado Jane returns to claim her birthright: the Dority homestead now owned by the steadfast Texan who never forgot Jane or forgave himself for her disappearance.
Lewis Adams would give anything to see his friend come home, but he’s certain Eldorado Jane isn’t his Jane. So why does this mesmerizing woman—with the talent and fame to have anything she desires—want the remote patch of land that he loves? There’s only one way to find out: accept a wager with a deceiver who holds the power to bring back his friend or break his heart. The outcome rests in her hands. Or does it?
Friendship. Betrayal. Blackmail. Eldorado Jane holds every card…except the one that matters most.
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STEAM LEVEL: Spicy
STORY LENGTH: A novel (243 pages)
AWARDS: 2017 RONE® – Historical Romance Nominee
GAMBLING HEARTS SERIES: Between Love & Lies (Dodge City, 1877) and Between Home & Heartbreak (Texas Hill Country, 1879). Each story features characters from the other books but is also a standalone read.
REVIEWS
- “Open the book and get swept away!” ~ Tonya L.
- “Move over Annie Oakley, here comes Eldorado Jane! She’s smart, spunky and loves being the star of the Wild West.” ~ Marjorie L.
- “All I have to say is WOW! The second book in the Gambling Hearts series is as good if not better than the first! A western romance, thrill ride, filled with twists and turns in every chapter.” ~ A.P. Reader
- “Another hit from Ms. Nelson! There’s humor and deep emotion. Challenges to tackle, lies to uncover, truths to face and fears to conquer.” ~ Tina H.
- “I loved her first story [in the Gambling Hearts series], but her second is even more fun to read! This author really kept my attention until the end! I just loved her heroine Eldorado Jane!” ~ Nicole L.
- “A fun, yet nail biting story. I highly recommend this book and the series.” ~ Christine W.
EXCERPT
High country above Juniper Flats, Texas — 1879
Lying flat on his back, squinting at the sycamores swaying against a hazy blue sky, every bone in Lewis Adams’ body ached, berating him for letting the half-broke Appaloosa Cayuse toss him out of the saddle and over the fence. The land he loved reverberated beneath him. He’d be tempted to stay here if he didn’t have nine more prickly horses requiring his attention. Training them in time was all that mattered.
The silhouette of a woman, framed by a sunshine halo, leaned over him and cast a soothing shadow. “You almost had him.” Her smooth-as-honey voice held a hint of amusement.
At last, an angel had descended from the heavens to ease his burdens. One bearing encouraging words as well as laughter. Exactly the kind he liked, and needed.
An easy smile lifted his lips. Now here was a reason for lying in the dirt. Damned if he’d move and spook her. Stay with me. Don’t disappear.
She leaned closer, revealing deep brown eyes rich as polished heartwood.
“Your eyes are—” His breath lodged in his chest, then found freedom with the word, “Stunning.”
Her brows shot up in surprise. Then her laughter floated down around him like a warm embrace. “I think your fall, not my eyes, stunned you. Next time keep your eyes on your mount’s ears. They’ll tell you which way he plans to jump.”
His grin grew. Horse sense, a kind heart, and a sharp wit. His angel and her mesmerizing eyes were a dream come true.
The clatter of hooves swelled above the earth’s fading tremors. Recognition shook the fog from his brain. His visitor was one of the three riders he’d glimpsed approaching before he’d been bucked off. Her mount had thundered ahead like a towering black cloud and now hovered next to the corral, looking at his rainbow assortment of horses.
The woman standing over him was real.
Who was she? Why was she at the Dority homestead? No one came up here for months on end. Craving a better look at her, he tried to push up on his elbows.
“Lie still.” Crouching on her heels, she laid her gloved hand on his shoulder. Even wrapped in soft kidskin, her light touch jolted him like a lightning bolt, then held him hostage. He’d do whatever she said as long as she kept touching him…and staring at him with her angel eyes.
“We must talk before they join us.” Her voice had dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “I’m sorry. I’m going to hurt you again.”
“Eldora, is he dead?” The not-too-distant bellow made them both flinch. The eagerness in that shout rang in his skull like the bells of hell anticipating a funeral.
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