Wrangling for His Love by Hayden West
Book 4 in the City of Fountains series
General Release Date: 7th March 2023
Word Count: 18,084
Book Length: NOVELLA
Pages: 83
Genres:
CONTEMPORARY,COWBOYS AND WESTERN,EROTIC ROMANCE,GAY,GLBTQI,MULTICULTURAL
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Book Description
When the dust settles…
Ben “The Dusty Demon” Mooney is a steer wrestler—one of the best in the world—but that title comes at a price, and it’s one that has to do with the color of his skin as well as his preference in partners. An incident at an event is the start of something that quickly turns far more personal, but is he ready for this opportunity and all that comes with it?
Matthew Jigs is harboring a long-time crush on Ben Mooney. Theirs isn’t a world in which it’s acceptable to advertise sexual preference, and if friendship is all he can get, he’ll take it. For now. But Ben’s hesitation makes Matthew try to see things from another point of view. He wants so much, and it seems like Ben is just holding on.
It all blows up and Matthew’s standing alone to pick up the pieces—or is he? Perhaps when the dust settles, everything will be as it should be.
Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of racism, homophobia, child abuse, sexual harrassment, the threat of violence, and blackmail.
General Release Date: 7th March 2023
“I don’t understand what the problem is, Matthew. It’s not like you’ve not done this before.”
He rolled his eyes and looked at his mother. “I’m not interested in women, Ma. No matter how many you throw in my path. It’s not going to happen.”
“I want grandbabies. How am I supposed to get them with you pulling your own meat?”
He put up a finger. “Never say that again, for one thing. I’ll not give them to you just on principle because you feel it’s okay to say that to your son.”
“Don’t be so uptight about sex. It’s a natural thing. So is masturbation. I know we had this talk when you couldn’t keep your hands off your little pecker.”
He held up his hands and backed away from the woman he called, some days reluctantly, his mother. “Stop, please.”
She tucked some of her steel-gray hair behind her ear. “It’s not like I don’t do it.”
Matthew walked off. “I’m not discussing this with my mother.”
“Uptight,” she called after him.
“I have to go check out a stable, Ma. You’re welcome to come with me, but that kind of talk? Not happening. From this point on. Are we clear?”
She got to her feet and sauntered toward him, a sassy smirk on her face. God, what he would put up with because he loved this woman so much. “Are you going to leave me there?”
He nodded. “Yes and hopefully they will feed you.” Matthew rolled his eyes. Now let’s go, old woman. I have things to do.”
“I love how you think just because you run away from a charging bull you’ll be able to outrun me when I want to kick your ass for this attitude.”
Yeah, he wouldn’t put it past her to do that to him.
“Love you, Ma,” he called out as he reached for her jacket to hold so she could put it on.
“Of course you do. I’m fucking amazing. Or amazeballs, as they say.”
Sliding the jacket on over her thin shoulders, he kissed her cheek. “No one says that, Ma.”
She sniffed indignantly. “Of course they do. I just said it.”
Slipping on his own jacket, he held the door open and took her arm to help her down the steps. At her car, he assisted her in the passenger side before sliding behind the wheel.
“What are you looking for at this stable?”
“Wondering if a friend is in town for the rodeo.”
She turned on the seat warmer and settled back. “Why don’t you just call him?”
He fought not to wrench his lips in displeasure. “Had a bit of a falling out in Calgary, so he’s not picking up the phone.” Also, he didn’t have Ben’s number, but he wasn’t going to share that with his mother.
“What did you do?”
“Aren’t you, as my mother, supposed to be on my side? Why do you assume I did something wrong?”
“Because I know you and you’re the one trying to fix it. So you messed it up. What happened?”
As he drove through Kansas City, he filled her in on the incident in Calgary with Ben. Unexpectedly, his mother didn’t have any snappy comeback, she just sat there in silence once he’d finished telling her.
“Nothing to say?”
“I don’t believe there is anything for me to say, Matthew. You already know you weren’t right for not sticking up for him, saying nothing is as bad as the ones who are hurling insults. You have to stick up for him because it’s the right thing to do.”
“You’re disappointed in me.”
“A little.” That killed him. “Have you forgotten how it was when your father found out about you being gay?”
No, he hadn’t. Not any of it. The loud berating, whippings and being threatened with a reconditioning therapy camp. Matthew tightened his grip on the wheel, swallowing back the memories.
“But,” she continued, “you’re looking to make this right and, if I’m not mistaken, you aren’t going to be keeping your mouth shut if it happens again. So”—she patted his hand—“I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks, Ma.”
“Be prouder if you’d give me grandbabies.”
He cut his gaze to her and shook his head over the smile playing on her lips. “I can adopt, you know, right?”
“Can and are, those are very different words. I keep hoping you’ll be bi long enough to knock up a woman and give me a grandbaby. But I’ll be perfectly happy if you tell me you’re adopting a baby. Are you?” Her grin was wicked.
He slowed as he pulled into the stable. “No. But never stop hoping, Ma.”
“At the rate you’re going, I’m going to hope myself right into the grave.”
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Hayden West
Hayden West lives in the Pacific Northwest, enjoys being outdoors, and hanging out with friends when not working on the next novella to be released.
Find Hayden at their website and blog.
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