Cover Reveal: Blaze by RM Neill

So excited to be able to share the cover and an excerpt for R.M. Neill's second book in The Broken Horn Ranch series, Blaze, which releases on June 8th on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited!

Blurb:

Blaze

Whoever says money can solve all your problems is a damn liar. It only creates unnecessary headaches and does nothing to erase bitter memories.

Deep down, I’m still the same guy I’ve always been. No matter how many zeros are in my bank account. No matter how far I run, or how much richer I become. Where I came from will never change.

I’m tired of pretending. It’s why I’ve come back to my hometown. To the simple life, to clearing my mind and finding the balance that’s always just out of reach. No suits, no city living, no cheats and liars, and definitely no complications.

But the funny thing is, there’s a situation I wasn’t prepared for. The ranch hand on my best friend’s farm with a shy smile and talented hands. River is easygoing, confident and carefree, my total opposite. 

Maybe an unexpected complication is exactly what I need to make things easy again.

Maybe finding my way back to who I truly am is easier if I’m not alone.

 

River

I don't need much to be happy.

I have my job at Broken Horn Ranch, my custom furniture building on the side, and a standing date to dinner with my dad every Friday night.

Life doesn’t need excitement or fancy adventures to be fulfilling. Things are completely good just the way they are. There’s no sense toppling my perfectly balanced apple cart.

But I wasn’t expecting the tall, dark, and handsome man who arrived at the ranch on horseback and sent my comfortable, ordinary world spinning. 

Blaze is the boss’s best friend and a part owner of the ranch. His brilliant smile masks his hidden troubles, and if I had a few pennies to spare for his thoughts, I’d spend every last one. 

Maybe I don’t have everything I need after all.

Maybe I need him.

Blaze is the second book in The Broken Ranch series and can be read as a standalone. You can expect to find two men in their forties remembering what it’s like to be kids again while falling in love, a new hobby making spoons, an abundance of romantic gestures and a super swoony sleigh ride. 

 

Excerpt:

"Can I help you with anythin'?"

"Sure. There are wine glasses in the cupboard in the corner. Should be a corkscrew there, too. Why don't you pour our glasses while I plate the food?"

Nodding, I find the glasses and corkscrew and pour us each a glass of wine as he sets two plates of food down at the table.

"Where did you get the flowers?" I ask as he pulls out a chair for me. With a smile, I seat myself as he takes the chair across from me.

"I stopped at the corner store on my way home. There's a family that cuts sunflowers and gladiolas to sell. They have a greenhouse and have most kinds of flowers. I hoped they had been by today to refill the display. Do you like sunflowers?"

"I do. I like most flowers, actually."

"Any favourites?" River spreads a napkin over his lap while I do the same.

"I've always loved tulips and daffodils. Spring flowers. They're the first hope after a long winter and their colours always make me smile. Did you know daffodils represent new beginnin’?"

“No, I didn’t. But that makes sense with them being spring flowers. What about tulips? Do they mean anything?”

“Um… yeah… they represent different feelin’s dependin’ on their colours. They’re a romantic flower. More than roses. Even sunflowers have meanin’.”

I must sound like such a fool going on about flowers, but River is listening like it’s the most riveting of topics. For some reason, that attention makes me keep on spewing more flower trivia like a five year old with too many facts in their brain. 

“Yellow sunflowers are often for happiness but they can also symbolize loyalty and adoration. Like tulips all the colours mean somethin’ different. I mean, if you want them to. They could also just be hey I like you here’s some flowers.”

River smiles, soft and warm and I rub at my chest. I’ve never told anyone all that before. 

"I'll have to remember that then. I didn’t know colours of flowers meant different things." He takes a bite of his dinner and, after swallowing, he notices I haven't touched my food yet.

"Are you going to eat with me? Or is this a spectator event?"

I laugh softly. "I'll eat. I just wasn't expecting you to have cooked or set a table with flowers and candles. It's very… intimate."

River takes a sip of his wine before assessing me with his kind eyes.

"It's a date and you're my guest. My mom always said when you have someone special over, you treat them special."

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Pre-order your copy of Blaze today!  In the meantime, if you haven't read the first book in the series, Colby, check out our review!