A Broken Cowboy: The Cowboys of Whisper Colorado, #11

By Melissa Keir

Sometimes you are stronger than you believe…

Trey and Sara Arking had overcome so much. The former champion bull rider now faced life as a paraplegic since a bull named Brickhouse crushed not only his body but his spirit. Sara hadn't let him walk away from her, and the two married.

 

A baby seemed improbable until the double-blue line set their dream of parenthood within reach, but when a freak Christmas snowstorm traps them at home during the birth, will Trey be able to let go of his fears of inadequacy and save the day? Or will he lose the one person he loves more than anything—his wife?

 

A stand-alone novella featuring a broken cowboy and the stubborn woman who loves him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Melissa Keir
• Release date: Mar 18, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393797418

Book preview

A Broken Cowboy

The Cowboys of Whisper, Colorado- Book 11

Melissa Keir

The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, places, or events is coincidental and not intended by the author.

If you purchase this book without a cover you should be aware that this book may have been stolen property and reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher. In such case the author has not received any payment for this stripped book.

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A Broken Cowboy

Copyright © 2020 Melissa Keir

All rights reserved.

207 Moonglow Circle #101

Murrells Inlet, SC

Edited By Kate Richards

Cover By: The Write Designer

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This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission. The copying, scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions, and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. 

A Broken Cowboy

Sometimes you are stronger than you believe...

Trey and Sara Arking had overcome so much. The former champion bull rider now faced life as a paraplegic since a bull named Brickhouse crushed not only his body but his spirit. Sara hadn’t let him walk away from her, and the two married.

A baby seemed improbable until the double-blue line set their dream of parenthood within reach, but when a freak Christmas snowstorm traps them at home during the birth, will Trey be able to let go of his fears of inadequacy and save the day? Or will he lose the one person he loves more than anything—his wife?

A stand-alone novella featuring a broken cowboy and the stubborn woman who loves him.

Dedication

To new friends who make each day a blessing-Kelly and Mary Lou. Chatting with you helped during the lockdown. You gave me many reasons to smile!

To my own husband who understands that being broken doesn’t mean you are less than perfect...

PROLOGUE

Damn it! Trey slammed his fist down on the floor.

The rehab nurse stood over him, her hands on her hips. Try it again. You need to rebuild the muscles in your arms.

Easier said than done. Each time I try to move to the wheelchair, I fall. My arms ache. They’re shaking. He wasn’t going to let her see the tears that had formed in his eyes. Men don’t get emotional. His father had drilled those words into him as a child. Fall down, get up. Break a bone, set it. But Trey couldn’t do this. He’d tried. And if he couldn’t do this, what good was he to his fiancée? She deserved a real man. Someone who could care for her like he used to. Sara shouldn’t be saddled with this broken man.

No matter how difficult it is, you have to be able to right yourself should you fall. I thought you were some big superstar cowboy. A bull-rider...you can do this.

Trey bit down on a sharp retort. He had been the best, winning Nationals by riding some of the meanest bulls around. He’d held on for eight seconds many times while a 2,000 pound bull tried to dump him in the dirt. He had the belt buckles to prove it! Stupid nurse. What does she know?

Over the years, he’d broken numerous bones and been patched back up, only to ride again. But one night in Vegas.... A professional bull’s weight was more than enough to crush a man. Sadly, Brickhouse did just that, ending Trey’s dreams.

He gritted his teeth, determined to prove her wrong. Placing his hands flat on the floor, Trey lifted the dead weight of his lower body. Slowly, he shifted his torso inches, mere inches before settling down again. Sweat broke out on his forehead. Once more, he lifted with his arms and advanced a little closer to his chair. For what felt like an eternity, Trey scooted inch by inch.

Finally, he could touch it. Lifting it upright, he set the wheel locks.

All right, tough guy. You got it up. Now you have to get your ass back into it, she challenged him. You thought everything before was hard. This will make you push past your breaking point, but you never know when you’ll need it. Your life can depend on it. You may be alone, without help, and this will be your only way to get around. She clucked her tongue at him. Show me you have what it takes.

Twisting, Trey reached up to the seat of the chair. Straightening his arms, he dragged his shoulders toward the seat. Sweat blurred his vision as rivulets ran down his face. He smacked his head against the back of the wheelchair as he tugged and pulled, using his arms. Determined to prove the bossy nurse wrong, he wasn’t going to fail. With more grunts and exertion, he finally tugged himself upward into place and slid sideways into the seat. It wasn’t pretty, and he felt like he’d been run over by Brickhouse once more, but his ass, or most of it, was in the seat.

Well, cowboy. You did it. After we get you some chocolate pudding, we’re going to try it again. She glanced down at her watch. And you won’t take quite so long, either. Thirty minutes. Shaking her head, she helped Trey right himself so he was sitting upright and straight.

Julie. You are an evil taskmaster. Satan doesn’t have anything on you. Trey grimaced.

Ha. Where do you think I got my training? Placing her hands on the handles, she pushed him forward. Maybe if you are really nice to me, I’ll track down that tiramisu they have set aside for tonight’s dinner.

Trey turned to face the nurse who had quickly become a friend. He stuck his tongue out. "You’re simply trying to get a piece for