Hello,
I hope this finds you well. At such a
tumultuous time, it’s good to be able to lose yourself in a good book, whether
it be reading or writing one.
I’ve been working on Book 2 of The Johnsons of
Junova, Heartbeat, which is Sam Johnson’s
story. Sam is the drummer in the band, and, despite his instrument of choice,
is one of the quieter members of the family.
Often in the shadow of his older brother Kurt,
Sam has always hankered to be more like him. He even dyes his hair to look a
little more like him, but in his own story he discovers that he just needs to
be himself.
Sam has fallen for a girl he met at the
hospital while visiting his dad recently. But things don’t go too well for him
right from the beginning as this excerpt shows:
He mounted the horse and tried to start with a slow
trot. Unfortunately, the horse had other ideas. It was very skittish, and
threatened to rear up again. Sam kept control and calmed it a little. Then it
bucked, causing Sam to hold on for dear life, before it stamped heavily and
then raced off around the paddock.
All Sam could do was hold on tight and try to calm the
massive beast as it ran around the training field.
“That’s it,” Ron called out to him. “Just ride it out.
He’ll get tired and start to behave soon.”
Sam didn’t find his words much of a comfort. How soon
was soon? Usually he loved being on a horse, but this animal was bucking and
rearing all over the place, making for a very uncomfortable ride.
“Whoa, come on, buddy, settle down.” He kept his tone
calm as he continually coaxed the horse to slow down, and eventually it paid
off.
He could feel when the beast started to relax a
little, and he stroked its mane to pacify him. The horse had given him a good
run for his money, there was no denying it, but Sam was relieved when it slowed
to a canter, before he could finally get it to stop.
Ron grinned, hurrying over to them. “I think you might
have to try that all over again, son. That animal needs showing who the boss is
around here, and it sure ain’t him.”
Sam gaped at him before realizing he was just kidding.
He closed his eyes with a huge sigh of relief. “Man, you really had me going
there for a second.”
“Not as fast as he had you going, son.” Ron chuckled.
“He sure is a feisty one. You did well to hold on.”
“I didn’t have much of a choice. I knew if I fell at
that speed I’d do myself some serious damage, not to mention run the risk of
getting trampled. This boy sure has an attitude on him.”
He climbed down, still holding onto the reins.
“That’s all you’d need today, to wind up at the dang
hospital.” Ron grimaced. “What about that poor girl of yours?”
“That’s what worried me,” Sam admitted. She hadn’t
been far from his mind all day, and he was determined he wouldn’t let anything
stand in the way of him picking her up from the station later. He’d already
ordered a beautiful bouquet from the florist in Brightside, which he’d collect
on his way.
At that thought, he reached for his back pocket. His
blood ran cold as he quickly checked the other, not finding his phone in
either.
“My cell phone.”
Ron frowned. “I saw you put it into your right-hand
pocket earlier.”
“It’s gone. It must have happened when the horse
reared.”
“I’ll take him back. You have a good look around. It
has to be here somewhere.”
Sam felt his heart hammering as he hurried back to
where he’d started, scouring the field on his way. Then he saw it. Or, at
least, part of it. Lying in the muddy
snow. As he’d feared, it must have slipped out of his pocket while he’d been
grappling with the horse.
He picked up the remains and stared at the state of
it. Ruined. Just like his chances of seeing Lydia again.
As always, things are never that easy for the
Johnsons, are they? I’ll keep you updated with the progress of the book—and Sam
and Lydia’s relationship.
In the meantime, take care of yourself,
Raine
The Johnsons of Junova is a continuation of The Billionaires of Brightside Ranch that can also be read as a standalone series.
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