ABOUT THE BOOK

They want different things, but they just might need each other

Barrel racer Cheyenne Whitten returns to Wishing, Texas, after an injury, determined to recuperate and return to the rodeo circuit. But living with her over-protective mother only adds to Cheyenne’s problems. Desperate to move out and reclaim her independence, Cheyenne believes a service dog is the answer. That is, until she learns the waiting list for one is up to five years.

Having lost his fiancée two years ago, Cooper Abbott wants to run his veterinarian clinic and rebuild his life. A calm, stable, uneventful life. Then Cheyenne shows up asking for help getting a service dog, and Cooper finds he can’t refuse the feisty redhead.

Cheyenne and Cooper insist a relationship is the last thing they want. Cheyenne is focused on her health and returning to the rodeo. Cooper’s heart is still raw from loss. But it could be they’re exactly what each other needs.

MY REVIEW

Opposites attract in the small town of Wishing, Texas, with a fiery straight-talking barrel racer and a calm, smart, gentle-spirited veterinarian.

Cheyenne and Cooper have an extraordinary relationship with a lot at stake. Cheyenne’s seizures caused by a brain tumor are something Cooper understands due to his tragic past. When he makes the deal for her to use his app along with a service dog to help predict her seizures while she, in turn, lives with him and helps in his clinic, their future is set. The respect and appreciation they gain from each other are well-deserved and admirable. They are two people who bring out the best in each other and as they lower their guard, the sparks fly. Of course, there are bound to be some bumps along the way with important decisions to be made and unlikable family members to convince. But love perseveres.

I recommend this genuine and emotional love story with endearing characters and interesting and very real subject matter about seizure disorders and service dogs.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

My mother swears I could read by the time I was two. I don’t know about that, but some of my earliest memories involve books and creating my own stories. I always wanted to write. Yup, I was one of those kids who spent her time in school daydreaming.

As with a lot of things in my life, I traveled a rambling path to becoming an author. When I attended Iowa State University I wanted to study journalism, but I had to take a test to enter the program. I don’t remember a single thing about the test, except that I failed. At the time I was taking a sociology course I loved, and I thought maybe this was a sign that I wasn’t meant to be a journalist, and I changed my major.

Iowa State is also where I met the man who became my husband of thirty-three years. He was a year ahead of me in school, and we married and moved to Texas before I graduated. Again, I took a detour. I worked various jobs including one as a contact lens technician for an optometrist while I waited to get residency. (Out of state tuition was a killer even in those days!)

Eventually I did graduate from the University of Texas at Dallas with a degree in Sociology, and I worked as case manager before having my children. The moment I held the first of my three sons, I knew I couldn’t put him in daycare to work with other people’s children. While I loved being a stay at home mom, I discovered a downside–brain mush, and I turned to writing stories to challenge my mind and save my sanity. The jury’s still out on whether or not it saved my sanity, but I remembered how much I loved writing.

More years later than I care to admit, on March 17, 2011, I sold my novel Big City Cowboy to Harlequin American. Now I write full time in Dallas where I live with my husband, our youngest son, two lovable black dogs, one mischievous brown one, and a turtle. When I find a little quiet time–which is more often now that my two oldest sons are out on their own–I enjoy making jewelry, refinishing old furniture, remodeling our house (I own my own wetsaw!) and of course, reading a good book.

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