Ring of Fire

By Rita Hestand

Book Two of the McKay Series. Another steamy sweet romance. Letty McKay has moved home to abide by her father's will. She has to live there a year in order to collect. When she meets the handsome horse wrangler, Hank Silver, she's instantly attracted.

Hank however is the kind of cowboy who knows the hands off policy her father laid out and respects it. Even though Letty sets him on fire every time she's around, he refuses to give in to his baser wants. He could never support her in the style she is used to.

Still, love has a way of sneaking up on a man and Hank has to deal with his feelings, while Letty throws all caution to the wind and strikes out on her own. But what if she is wrong. What if Hank doesn't love her? Will she lose everything?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rita Hestand
• Release date: Jul 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301658473

Rita Hestand

Hi friendsI'd like to ask a favor, not just for me but for all writers. PLease when we offer a free book, it would be wonderful if you'd take the time to rate the book. This doesn't take much time out of your day and authors really apreciate your time to do this. I know not everyone wants to sit down and write a review, but rating the book will help as well. And a big thanks to all who do this. You never know how much an author appreciates you taking the time to do this.I finally finished The Car Stalker. Hope you'll check it out. This is the second book in the stalker series. Like I said mystery is much different from romance all though there are elements in romance in my stalker books too. Today I finished an another book in my series of Vets coming home, Better Every Day. This book takes the angle of when family interrupts your plans. When a one-night stand is much more. I love this story as it hits home. So two new books out now and more coming.I'm taking the time to write while confined at home. But lack of seeing people outside, and living alone all the time is not new to me. I've got lots of stories to tell so be on the lookout for my newest releases. You might check out my Searchin g for You Indian romance on Amazon too.There are several new free books for you enjoyment, since your stuck at home. Home you enjoy them.As for a bio, suffice it to say, I'm a Texan tried and true. I have grown children and grandchildren and already some great-grandchildren. I've done multi jobs in my lifetime giving me a variety of experiences to write and talk about. I've done many different kinds of work from Texas Instruments, to City of Garland, to working for the Wylie Independent School District. I've worked for a hat factory, filing insurance claims, secretarial work, to waitress work. My writing reflects my varied background. Another note I've had a in home day care for twenty years too. So when I write about something I have a general knowledge of it too, which is a real bonus for me. Just like my public work, my writing varies too from contemporary to historical, I write romance, thrillers, children's. A lot of people might say gee, that's a lot of different jobs, and it is, but, I've learned from them all, and I use that experience in my writing.I want to thank all the readers over a length of time that have tried some of my books. I hope I've enlightened and entertained you. I hope I've shared some love in this world. Sharing love can't be bad, it's God given.God bless.Other places to see my bookshttps://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/rita-hestand/https://itunes.apple.com/us/author/rita-hestand/id365799219?mt=11www.scriptsforschools.com/rita-hestandhttps://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/search?query=rita%20hestand&fcsearchfield=author

Book preview

Ring of Fire

(Book Two of the McKay's)

Rita Hestand

Copyright © 2013 Rita Hestand

All rights reserved

ISBN: 9781301658473

Cover Design by Ramona Lockwood

License Notes:

This book Ring of Fire is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebooks may not be resold or given away to other people. Please purchase an additional copy for each person you share with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

Ring of Fire is a work of fiction. Though actual locations may be mentioned, they are used in a fictitious manner and the events and occurrences were invented in the mind and imagination of the author. Similarities of names used within to any person, past, present, or future, are coincidental.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

About the Author

Rita's Other Books

Chapter One

Don't eat the dirt, kid, get up and get back on. The voice was clear as a bell, and familiar. She raised her face from the soft earth and glanced around. Her heart beat quickened, her mind reeled, and tears clouded her vision for a moment.

Dad! she cried out.

You sure must like eating dust. The man in black stood leaning against the barn door, staring intently at her. He was tall and lean and sexy as all get out, yet he wore it like an overcoat he wasn't aware of having. His hair was dark, and barely blew against the wind as he kept it clipped short, his stance provocative and powerful, and his arrogance beamed at her. Women just didn't ignore men like that, Letty reasoned as she peeped over her shoulder at him. The man was cowboy through and through, rough, determined and all grit.

Love it. Letty let her backside fall as she spit out the dust from her mouth and tried to keep her own dignity as she managed to right herself once more. The voice she'd heard shook her to her core. Where had the voice come from? Despite the handsome cowboy, the voice had distracted her and the mystery behind it even more. She knew she heard it, but the cowboy obviously hadn't. Had she merely thought she heard her father speaking?

No one was around but the sexy cowboy.

A chill ran through her, but she refused to give into it. It was perfectly normal to think you heard someone that was dead, wasn't it? Sure, it was, especially if that someone happened to be your father, whom you loved dearly.

The cowboy didn't laugh at her; instead he smiled smugly as though he expected her to be dumped once more.

The name's Hank Silver. He moved a little closer as she continued to dust her jeans and shirt and walk toward him.

She glanced up at him, batting her eyes. Silver.

He smiled an impish smile that curled on one side of his mouth. That's what they call me.

She waved at the camera man to stop shooting. I don't think they want to see me eat dirt, Candy Man.

Her photographer chuckled and closed his camera, packing up his gear.

She grinned at the camera man as he waved and left. Tomorrow at one… he called over his shoulder at her.

Letty glanced at him, giving him a quick once-over and then returned her attention to the cowboy.

I'll be there, she called back.

You're a model? The cowboy twisted his head.

In my spare time, yes… She nodded. But I'm afraid my debut in the dirt was not part of the shots he was trying to capture. I’m working for a country and western manufacturer, doing a few ads for them.

She took his hand, and immediately it felt sweaty, warm, and firm. Her eyes drifted to his. And what eyes, brown, gorgeously brown and full of mischief. He pretended to be moderately impressed.

Who's they? She smiled back and slowly let her hand fall from his.

He looked blankly at her for a moment, and then nodded. Hell, if I know… He grinned again.

I've seen you around, but no one bothered with an introduction. She reached down to get her black hat and dusted it against her leg. Before he could say another word, she had climbed back on the horse and was thrown in seconds…again.

Sometimes, you can get in over your head, you know? he said, watching her fly through the air and land not too charmingly on her bottom. For nothing would she rub her bottom in front of him. She'd ridden many times and this horse wrangler was not going to laugh at her. He was not going to win. She grimaced as she got up once more, not so dignified.

As a young girl she had helped her father bust broncos many times, but time had a way of unlearning a person, she reasoned. It'd been too long since she rode. She was definitely out of shape, something she intended to rectify. If only she hadn't heard her father’s voice so clearly, she wouldn't feel as though she had to ride the horse. But her father would have expected it. Those words rang in her head. McKays didn't give up, no matter what.

Look, it may not look like it, but I've been riding since before I could walk, she returned, gritting her teeth as she walked to the corral fence. She groaned a little and he moved toward her.

Obviously not in some time though. Are you hurt? he asked, concern lacing his voice.

His genuine concern startled Letty.

Someday, I'm going to tame that one. She set her chin out as she gave Thunder a murderous look. And no, I am not hurt. I'm going to ride Thunder, maybe not today, but someday. I'll ride him yet.

You are one determined woman, must be a McKay. He chuckled.

Must be… she answered, not giving him a look.

Which one are you? he asked, still staring at her backside.

Letty, she answered and disappeared around the corner of the barn. Never give a man too much information, her mind flashed once more to her father. He'd been full of advice and Letty found herself paying attention more now than ever.

The cowboy's glance followed her; she could feel the heat from his probing eyes.

Energized by his light flirtation, she practically ran to the house to change. This shoot was not going well. She had purposely wanted to do some ad work for a Western outfitter but today was obviously not the right day for it. Maybe the horse was a little much, but she used to love riding and she wanted to get back into it again. She also wanted to keep modeling as it provided an income and she liked having her own money. Thinking about the inheritance, she shook her head. I'd rather have you here, Dad! I wish you knew that!

Darn if she wasn't beginning to like it here, despite the fact that moving back home had changed all her plans. She wouldn't let anyone know but being home felt very right for her now and no one would understand that. In fact, some of her friends didn't understand why she would leave her third year in law school to live on a ranch. However, she had left out she would be a rich woman once the year was up. Some things didn’t need sharing.

Something niggled in the back of her head though when she recalled the shiver that ran through her from the voice she obviously hadn't heard.

In reality, her dad wouldn't like her giving up her law career. He wouldn't understand.

She hadn't actually quit school yet, but it was on her mind constantly.

The trade she had chosen in life wasn't working well for her. There was way too much tension in the studies and after several enacted court room dramas, she wasn't at all sure this was what she should be doing. She hadn’t wanted to be one of those that never finished what she started but it looked as though she would be.

Why the doubts now, she kept asking herself, was it because she no longer had to succeed at law, or the fact that the passion for it had fizzled out? Still, if she continued her education, she could command many jobs later. Quitting was not in a McKay's vocabulary.

Yet she knew that once the passion for a career burned out, it would be hard to resurrect.

This morning had been unsettling. Letty was not superstitious. The voice, she was so sure she heard, belonged to her father. But that was impossible. Her father was dead. Yet the eerie feeling wouldn't leave her. It had to be from missing him so much. Grief was a strange thing, and Letty knew she was suffering to some extent, perhaps more than she wanted to admit. George McKay loved his girls, and they loved him, all of them.

Yet hearing his voice was not something she could share with anyone. They might think she was crazy.

Thank God she had Julie, her older sister, to lean on a bit since she came home.

Yet Julie and Cade Weston were making plans to get married already, and Wendy was madly in love with Wade, little good it seemed to do her. The only one that didn't have any definite plans was Sandy.

Letty thought about Sandy, the most agreeable and quiet sister of all, and yet the most complicated. Letty wondered quietly what kind of man it would take to win Sandy's attention.

However, when she turned the corner of the barn and saw Sandy talking to Candy Man, she stopped for a second.

Wow, that's so out of character for her.

But it had been years since she’d been close with Sandy and maybe she had gotten out of her shyness with men.

It wasn't her business, who Sandy talked to, and it could have been just a casual conversation, but Letty knew Candy Man had been around, and flags went up and down Letty's spine. She didn't want to see Sandy get hurt.

Good sense told her to stay out of it unless she was invited.

Sandy wouldn't appreciate my butting in.

Besides, Candy Man, although a hunk in his own right, was not a bad guy. The problem was he was experienced, and Letty doubted they were in the same league. Yet, she cranked her neck to the side and admitted, opposites did attract!

For all she knew Sandy might have more experience than she thought.

Getting to know her sisters again was a challenge except for Julie. It seemed they needed each other just to get through the days. And having Julie's daughter, Kellie, around all the time sure made for a family atmosphere. Letty almost felt like everything was right, except Dad wasn't here any longer. That left a wide gap for Letty. Another withheld secret from the family, she loved being surrounded by them all, although she managed to hide that fact better than anyone. Letty was good at hiding her feelings, at least she thought she was.

She climbed the stairs and went straight to her bedroom, stretching the tired muscles that were bound to be bruised by tomorrow.

Gradually, the melancholy began to fade, and she chalked it up to the stress of losing her father. It was normal to imagine things like voices after a death, wasn't it? She couldn't help but glance down at the corral once more from her bedroom window. He was still there, Hank Silver, and he was putting a saddle on Thunder, one of the wildest horses they had ever purchased, and the same horse Letty had to try to ride in front of Candy Man, her best photographer. Not that she thought she would impress him. Mike just didn't impress.

She'd tried a few years ago when a magazine assigned him to her. After all, Candy Man, Mike Tobin, was a hunk. However, she soon learned that while shooting, business was the first and only thing on his mind. He stayed focused and Letty appreciated that.

Now as she watched she noticed what ease Hank moved around the horses, and how natural he sat the saddle. His ride on Thunder was nothing short of determination to dominate. Even as he mounted Thunder the horse reacted differently. The man had command and the horse knew it. She envied him that moment. She envied any man who mastered the ride.

Different than most of the other cowboys, Hank seemed so self-assured and confident of what he was doing. Yet he was no show-off. He'd waited until she went inside to master a ride from Thunder. She didn't doubt for a moment he was a bad ass cowboy. He was much too handsome and devilish not to be. But she was silently grateful that he hadn't shown her up on Thunder.

She wondered if she handled that first meeting well or not.

Had she made an impression on him? She doubted it.

Not that it mattered. He was a hand here, and she shouldn't mix. Telling herself that was one thing, doing it another, for Letty had always been the real rebel of the family, defying rules and regulations her father had set forth. Oddly enough, her father had admired that about her.

Her dad had spent years explaining his daughters would not date a ranch hand. But Hank was intriguing, and she couldn't deny she reacted to him.

Besides, Dad was gone now, and she had to face that and get on with her life.

Intriguing? Hank Silver acted different.

But then what did she know about anyone around here? She hadn't so much as bothered with a man in a long time. Not that they didn't try to wine and dine her, but since moving home her interests had changed.

She was changing every day.

She didn't understand it any more than anyone else. She'd never been one of her daddy's cowgirl daughters. She did what she did on the ranch with humility. She rode because she enjoyed it, and for no other reason. Her father had come to respect that about her, and there had been an easy banter with him most of her life, because she used no pretense. She was as open with him as he was with her. He had understood her better than anyone. She silently missed him more every day she was home. The ranch didn't feel right without him. Without her father, the ranch was just a puzzle without the last piece.

If it weren't for Julie, she'd feel like an outsider. Only Julie seemed to know and understand the real Letty McKay.

She ran the tub in the connecting bathroom full of water and stretched out, after locking the doors so she wouldn't be disturbed. She let the water ripple over her as she took a washcloth and soaped it up.

But the moment