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Guys Like Him by Aimee Nicole Walker

Redemption Ridge, Book 1

Kieran Sullivan is broken when he arrives at Redemption Ridge. A wrongful conviction and twenty months in lockup will do that to a man. The ranch is a place for second chances and fresh starts, but for him, it’s an opportunity to discover who set him up. Get in, get answers, and get out. The plan sounds easy enough until Kieran meets an equine specialist whose sunny smile could warm the coldest heart.

Finley Ashe is a sucker for bruised spirits and sad eyes. The horse whisperer and broken-boy magnet is six months into a hiatus from love when Kieran, the king of emotionally unavailable men, gets assigned to work under his supervision. Mutual attraction is gasoline on proximity’s flame, testing Finley’s resistance in new ways.

Priorities shift, shields come down, and truths get exposed. Will the inevitable combustion redeem Kieran and Finley or consume them?

Guys Like Him is book one in the Redemption Ridge series. Though each story features a different couple, reading the series in order is essential. Guys Like Him contains mature themes and is intended for adults.

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His mother, Hope Newton, glanced up from refilling a basket with lotions and potions to offer her visitor a welcoming smile. Her mouth turned down when she spotted Finley’s expression, and the ever-present impish twinkle in her dark green eyes dimmed as he approached the counter. Hope reached for the glasses she wore on a chain around her neck and placed them on her nose, inspecting him even closer.

“My, my, my,” she said. Her honeyed Southern drawl usually soothed Finley when he’d worked himself into a snit, but it just ruffled his frayed nerves. “Someone’s hurting. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen such a thunderous expression on your handsome face. You must not have received the care package I sent back to the ranch with your sister yesterday.”

“I didn’t get it, but I’m not physically hurt, Mama. Just frustrated.”

Hope tsked and shook her head before sweeping her bangs to the side. She’d been letting them grow out for the past few months, and they were in the awkward phase of being too short to tuck behind her ear but too long to rest on her forehead without getting in her eyes. She solved the problem by pushing her eyeglasses onto her head like a headband. Gray-and-white waves framed her face and drew the eye to her impeccable bone structure. Hope continued her perusal and chuckled. “Someone needs to get laid.”

“Mom,” Finley groaned. Truer words had never been spoken, but they didn’t need to come from his mother, and not when a different frustration was riding him hard.

“There are healthier ways to deal with your bad-boy addiction than waging an all-out moratorium on sex.” She released an exaggerated shudder at the mere thought of abstinence. And his addiction wasn’t bad boys per se. Finley was a sucker for broken souls and sad eyes—both the four-legged and two-legged varieties. That bad boys were often a little broken was a mere coincidence. “You could try dating nice guys for once,” Hope continued. “You might even like it. They’re not all boring in bed.”

“Mom.” This time, his voice came out in a low growl.

“Masturbation,” she suggested. “Because celibacy doesn’t look good on you.”

Finley opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. He ended up choking on his saliva instead. Christ. Why was he so crazy about this lunatic who’d brought him into the world?

Nonplussed, Hope reached for her reusable water bottle under the counter and handed it to him. Finley uncapped it and took a drink. The water was chilly and infused with real strawberries and kiwi.

“I started a new line of oils that are so much better than the lubricants you can buy at the drugstore,” his mother said. “They’re wonderful for your skin, especially in the most sensitive areas, they provide a much better glide, and they don’t leave a sticky residue. I even customize the fragrance to enhance the experience.”

Finley sprayed a mouthful of water all over her counter and stared at her with a slack-jawed expression. He should’ve been used to her casual attitude toward sex and, well, everything, but she still surprised him. Heat infused his cheeks, and he looked around the store and the attached yoga studio. Luckily, no one else was around to overhear their conversation or to see his reaction, but Finley should’ve known better. Hope never hesitated to say outlandish things but never in a manner that would embarrass him in front of others. She had a filter, but she used it selectively. Today was an unlucky day all around.

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