I’d like to thank everyone at Love Bytes for giving me another opportunity to appear on this wonderful blog and share an exclusive excerpt of The Sixth Chukker. A special shout-out to my publicist J for her consistent good work in organizing all my blog tours. As usual, I bring a few giveaways, which you’ll find in the Rafflecopter widget.

The Sixth Chukker is the third book in my Polo Series. It continues three years after Ride-Off and fans of the first two novels will be in for a treat as the entire cast of characters—plus one sexy new addition—reunite in this ongoing saga of the Fawkes-Schnell clan. Since this is a series, reading the first two novels, Fire Horse and Ride-Off, will give you a better appreciation of the family dynamics. I hope you’ll come along for the ride as retired polo players Preston and Konrad deal with former lovers, demanding children, and old enemies.

ABOUT THE SIXTH CHUKKER

Retired polo players Preston Fawkes and Konrad Schnell have finally found the happiness that eluded them for years. Their stud farm is a big success, and their marriage couldn’t be healthier. Unfortunately, this idyllic life is disrupted by several unexpected sources.

Paloma, Preston’s twenty-one-year-old daughter, is determined to be a 10 goal player before she turns thirty. Bandi, Konrad’s son, dreams of starting a family with his partner, Ned Temple. Paloma offers to surrogate if her father and stepfather come out of retirement and team up with her for one season.

Preston and Konrad would do anything to make their children happy, but they’re confronted with a stumbling block. Trauma specialist Dr. Rayne Carlisle refuses to sign off on the necessary paperwork unless Preston agrees to be his submissive for one week.

Caught between the proverbial rock and hard place, Preston and Konrad deal with disgruntled lovers, demanding children, and old enemies in this sequel to Ride-Off.

Paloma wasn’t surprised to find Sergio ready to start the day when she sauntered into breakfast at eight. He was dressed for riding, as was she, and he lowered his cup of coffee the moment she walked through the double doors of Ned’s beautiful dining room.

“Buenos dias, muñeca.”

“Good morning,” she replied cheerily.

He stood automatically and pulled out the chair for her, a gallant gesture that didn’t go unnoticed. She rewarded him with a wide smile.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked after he’d resumed his seat. Sergio studied her intently. She could see genuine concern, and it touched her like nothing had in the recent past. Sergio didn’t bother to conceal his feelings with the usual posturing she’d come to view as normal from most of the guys her age. His admiration for her was clearly visible, and she sucked it up like a houseplant in need of water.

“I did. And you?”

“Muy bien.”

Paloma’s first thought was how refreshing it was to face a man first thing in the morning and not feel ashamed. Too often in the past she’d dived under the covers until her hookup left for work or, more often than not, slunk out of the apartment in the middle of the night and took a cab home. She never asked anyone to sleep over at her place, much preferring to face her disgraceful behavior in private. Clearly, she’d gone around the bend in her quest for the right guy, going from one fruitless relationship to another since landing in New York at barely eighteen years old. She was fortunate that she had polo to ground her, or she’d probably suffer the same fate awaiting all the women in her small circle of friends. The drugs, unwanted pregnancies, alcoholism, and eating disorders were all part of the wonderful world of trust fund babies who populated the New York night scene.

She took heart in knowing that for the foreseeable future—certainly the next two years—she’d be doing something meaningful with her life. Striving to be the very best at her game, and following that with a side trip into the world of motherhood, something she hadn’t dreamed possible. Carrying a child for a couple of guys with no strings attached was a definite win in her books. She’d come to care for Bandi and Ned, and even though she’d be giving up the baby, the fact was she’d be helping them by providing her body as the vessel for their child. It would keep her out of trouble, and when it was all over, maybe she would have learned a thing or two about the meaning of love and devotion. She’d never experienced it growing up with her mother, who flitted from one relationship to another, and her father wasn’t around enough to be any kind of role model.

“I’ll have a coffee and a sweet roll,” she replied to the butler’s query about her breakfast choice.

“Is that it?” Sergio inquired. “You’ll need a little more to keep up with me.”

“Is that a challenge?” she teased.

“I plan to work you hard today,” he said. “Yesterday was just a preview.”

“Bring it on, hermoso.”

Preston walked in at the tail end of her sentence and gave her the raised eyebrow that had become his signature look. “Isn’t it kind of early to be whipping up the competitive juices?”

“It’s never too early for a good workout,” Paloma replied. “Do you want to join us?”

“Sounds great, but I have to try and get an appointment for this fucking physical, or the only thing we’ll be playing is a game of bridge.”

“Would you like some company?” Paloma asked.

“That’s sweet of you, hon, but I’d better do this on my own. It might turn into a whole-day affair.”

“It’s too bad Dr. Carlisle couldn’t be persuaded into helping,” she remarked.

Preston smirked. “The moral of this story is to keep your ex-lovers as friends instead of enemies.”

“You said he wasn’t actually a lover.”

“We danced around the possibility for a while, and then Uncle Konrad showed up. Poor Carlisle never got the chance to show me what he had to offer.”

“Do you have any regrets?” she probed.

“My only regret is not realizing I should have behaved better.”

“Behavioral issues seem to run in our family,” she said softly.

PURCHASE LINKS

Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | All Romance eBooks

Mickie B. Ashling is the pseudonym of a multifaceted woman who is a product of her upbringing in multiple cultures, having lived in Japan, the Philippines, Spain, and the Middle East. Fluent in three languages, she’s a citizen of the world and an interesting mixture of East and West. A little bit of this and a lot of that have brought a unique touch to her literary voice she could never learn from textbooks.

By the time Mickie discovered her talent for writing, real life got in the way, and the business of raising four sons took priority. With the advent of e-publishing—and the inevitable emptying nest—dreams of becoming a published writer were resurrected and she’s never looked back.

She stumbled into the world of men who love men in 2002 and continues to draw inspiration from their ongoing struggle to find equality and happiness in this oftentimes skewed and intolerant world. Her award-winning novels have been called “gut wrenching, daring, and thought provoking.” She admits to being an angst queen and making her men work damn hard for their happy endings.

Mickie currently resides in a suburb outside Chicago.

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Four lucky blog tour participants will win a $15 Dreamspinner Press gift certificate OR one ecopy of The Sixth Chukker, Ride-Off, or Fire Horse. Contest open internationally. Must be 18 or older to enter.

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