Chasing liberty, p.1
Chasing Liberty, page 1
Contents
Chasing Liberty
(Book 2, Cowboys of Sagebrush Rose)
Rhonda Lee Carver
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
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Epilogue
about the AUTHOR
Rhonda Lee Carver Books
SHELTERING HIS SECOND CHANCE
About the Author:
Connect with Rhonda Lee Carver
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
Chasing Liberty
(Book 2, Cowboys of Sagebrush Rose)
Rhonda Lee Carver
Chasing Liberty © 2024 Rhonda Lee Carver
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Wild roses grow in unexpected places, and the sisters of Sagebrush Rose have a hankering for forbidden romance.
Sam Rose knew exactly what he was doing when he gave his daughters an ultimatum. Marry and calm their wild ways or he was writing them out of the will.
Full of sass and passion, Liberty will show her daddy! How dare he treat her like a child and meddle in her love life. She'd show him by marrying a ranch hand and Wyler Ranks is the perfect choice!
A twist of fate turns the fake marriage into something real.
The last thing Wyler wanted to do was fall in love with his wife. Yet here he was. He'd agreed to the "fake" marriage because he saw a chance at realizing his dream of running his own ranch, but he didn't expect that his life would be turned completely on its axis. He's never chased a woman before, but he's willing to chase Liberty to the ends of the earth to prove that he is the cowboy for her.
He will face danger to protect his new family.
Little do they know that flowers, and love, can grow in the least nurtured soil. Read this captivating novel of Liberty and Wyler's unplanned emotions and a gift neither saw coming.
Author’s Note:
When I started writing Liberty and Wyler’s story, I envisioned laughter, the simplicity of two people marrying for convenience and growing to love each other. Wow! How wrong I was that this story would be easy.
Immediately, Liberty came out of the gate with a mind of her own and a story to tell that was anything but easy. I grappled with her likeability. Because honestly, there were moments I thought to myself “Girl, readers are going to hate you!” Yet, as many authors will tell you, characters have a mind of their own.
And then I reached a Y in the road. Tragedy or take the safe route. I took several days letting this question simmer in my mind. Then it came to me like rain on a spring morning…necessary to replenish the story.
I hope you fall in love with the Rose sisters, the cowboys of Sagebrush, and the small town that is as turbulent and comforting as any town.
With Love, Rhonda Lee Carver.
Dedication:
To Lisa.
Sister of friendship. Partner in crime.
Forever keep that love that made your eyes sparkle.
“True love is...
Sadness.
Tolerance.
Patience.
Understanding.
Humiliation.
Forgiveness.
Support.
Tears.
Joy.
Happiness.
And broken hearts.
But mostly love is never leaving the person who looks at you like you hung the moon even when you disappointed her.”
Rhonda Lee Carver
Chapter One
“I think it’s time.” Liberty Rose shimmied out of bed, swiped the shirt off the floor and pulled the soft chambray on. The button down was extra-large to fit broad shoulders and wide chest so it hung on her like a dress.
She physically distanced herself as she prepared to tell her husband that she wanted a divorce.
With a quick glance over her shoulder at a heavy-eyed Wyler Ranks, he yawned and stretched. His bronzed skin looked stark against the white thousand thread-count sheets. He was too handsome for so early in the morning. His longish dark hair was tousled from her recent finger combing while in the throes of their lovemaking. He shifted and the sheet played peek-a-boo with the part of him she couldn’t seem to get enough of.
He had talent which most definitely made ending things much more difficult.
It was definitely time to break things off.
He snaked his arm around her pillow and dragged it under his head as his magnetic gaze roved from the tip of her highlighted roots to her manicured toenails. A familiar tingle traveled through her and settled in her thighs. Her body craved another cowboy “ride” while logic warned her that it was now or never to rip the bandage off.
She’d never been so indecisive before.
“What did you say?”
“It’s time,” she said in a tone above a whisper.
“Time?” His voice was a husky, broken tone produced from lack of sleep. They’d brought each other hours of pleasure and there wasn’t a spot on her body that he hadn’t explored.
Didn’t everyone have wild, passionate sex before they ended a relationship?
He flashed that grin—the grin that undid her like a ball of yarn.
Get it together, Liberty!
The “talk” had always been easier with her prior lovers. Of course, she’d never felt like this for anyone else.
The jar of hazelnut chocolate spread still sat with the lid off on the nightstand as a reminder how fun last night had been. She’d never think of dessert the same.
Focusing on the tiny white scar at center of his forehead, because that was the only spot on his body that she hadn’t licked, she refused to fall victim to his confused expression.
Spit it out!
“A separation.” Whew! There. The words were out.
He remained silent.
Sitting down at the vanity, she snuck a glance at him through the mirror. He’d repositioned himself on his elbows which decorated his large biceps with dips and valleys of muscles. His skin was covered in ink. She swallowed the tickle at the back of her throat—an itchy desire to revisit what they’d shared. She’d never wanted someone—something—so much. Last night when her inner thighs had become raw and sore, she still begged for his touch, and mouth, on her.
Get a grip.
She picked up the brush and pulled the bristles through her messy hair.
“A separation?” His thick brows creased.
“Well, more like a divorce. You and I should start the process.”
With an annoyed sigh, he pushed his body up and leaned against the headboard. Naked and erect, and not one bit self-conscious, he clasped his hands behind his head. He didn’t care and neither did she. She couldn’t imagine anyone ever telling Wyler to get dressed.
“Is this about last night?” he asked.
“Last night was great.” She laid the brush down. There was no taming the wavy mess that was both a blessing and a curse handed down from her Scottish mother. Liberty had forgotten a lot about her mother over the years, but her long, wild curls flowing in the wind during her sunset horse rides wasn’t one of them. She touched the infinity tattoo on her wrist, a tribute to her mother who had the same tattoo.
“Yeah, it was.” Wyler’s voice drew her out of her thoughts. “Amazing.”
Securing her feral hair into an elastic, she swiveled on the stool to face him. This conversation had been brewing inside of her for a few weeks. The second she started having feelings for him she knew she’d allowed the marriage to go on for far too long.
“We both got carried away.” Her cheeks warmed, which was unlike her. She’d always been confident in her body and the things she could do with it.
“You were…different. Ravenous. Unquenchable.” His striking grin provoked deep dimples. “Are you regretting it?”
“Having great sex? No complaints here.” The soft hairs on the back of her neck lifted. “You and I had agreed to six months. Then we would divorce.”
“It’s only been four.”
“Four. Six. It all ends the same. I’ve thought this through.” A misbehaving curl dislodged itself from the messy updo and she played with the tendril. Why was she so nervous? “We announce the separation, I can have the papers drawn up, and you can sign them in two months. That meets Daddy’s absurd demands.” She rolled her eyes. Every time she thought of the ludicrous idea to make his daughters get married caused her temper to flare.
After she and Wyler had said “I do” at some Elvis chapel in Las Vegas, they’d sat in their wedding suite in a casino motel setting marriage rules while drinking whiskey from little bottles.
Rule One. If they had sex—and of course they would—he’d return to his bedroom in the Rose Bloom Victorian Manor where they decided they’d live when they got back to Sagebrush Pine.
Rule Two. Refer to rule one.
Liberty had never liked abiding by the rules.
The boundaries had been crossed once, twice, thrice…a dozen times.
They’d quickly become comfortable falling asleep together, and she’d wake up curled next to him with his arm slung possessively over her waist. It always led to morning sex.
Then there were the spontaneous lunches and dinners. He’d show up on training days at Sagebrush Rose with her favorite meals. Or, she’d come home to candlelight dinners. He knew how much she enjoyed eating. What Rose didn’t?
Just last night she’d been working late with a rider and horse and came home to a prepared bubble bath, lit candles, soft music, and her favorite jasmine bath oil. He remembered her saying how she enjoyed long, hot baths after a hard day.
Wyler had never been romantic, until they married.
He'd changed. Was sweeter. More affectionate. He texted a good morning message every day. Asked with interest about her day. Didn’t leave the toilet seat up. All the things a woman would want in a partner.
And it was very bad.
She’d started looking forward to seeing him. Excited to have conversations with him. Loved their sunset rides at Sagebrush Rose. Working with him on tasks at the ranch always had her laughing and made the time pass quicker.
So now it was time to put the exit plan into motion.
Their marriage was a sham so this should be easy.
After Sam Rose had stipulated that his daughters find husbands, or give up all claims to the family ranch, she thought she’d teach her daddy a lesson for meddling in her love life and marry Wyler, a hand at Sagebrush Rose.
Somehow her plan had backfired. Not only did her sisters think Wyler was the next best thing to sliced bread, but Sam had jumped on the bandwagon and treated Wyler like a son.
Well, she wouldn’t join the trend. She couldn’t’t fall for Wyler.
Point blank.
“Now is as good a time as any,” she stated adamantly. “I have a plan.”
He bounced out of bed and her eyes fixed on his bare ass. “Hold that thought.” He strolled toward the bathroom. When he came back, he grabbed his boxers off the floor and dragged them on then sat down on the end of the bed. “What’s the plan?”
Clearing the cobwebs from her mind, it took her a moment before she could focus. “Tonight is Freedom’s birthday dinner at San Marco’s Italian. I’ll pick a fight, make an appropriate scene, and to cap it off I’ll ask for a divorce.”
His gaze narrowed. “You’d want to ruin your sister’s birthday dinner?”
“I’ll wait until after she opens her presents and has a few drinks.”
“That’s definitely a Rose-thing to say.” He ran his fingers down his whiskered jaw. “Why do you get to be the one who ends things? Maybe I want to be the one who asks for a divorce.”
“Well, if it means that much to you…”
He pushed up from the bed and reached into his boxers to adjust himself. “This is ridiculous, Liberty. The entire situation is ridiculous. Not everything has to be a production on the Rose stage.” He sauntered into the hallway as if he was finished with the discussion.
“We’re not done with this conversation.” She followed him down the spiral stairs and into the newly remodeled kitchen that she hadn’t once cooked in. She watched him open an overhead cabinet and take down a canister of instant coffee. “We do have a coffee maker.” She flipped on the Keurig.
“I prefer this.” He sprinkled in an eye-measurement of grounds, added a touch more, then turned on the burner on the stove to heat up the kettle. While he waited for the whistle, he leaned against the edge of the counter and folded his arms over his chest. “I think this is a bad idea.”
“Why?” She didn’t plan on this being an argument. She had thought he would want this as much as she did.
“Not everything in life needs a dramatic ending.” He yawned and looked out the window as if admiring the flower garden. The sunlight streamed in capturing his green eyes and making them iridescent. “I know it’s hard for you, and your family, to hear something so cruel, but life can be peaceful. It should be peaceful without all the drama.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Opening the fridge, she took out the bottle of Butter Cookie Creamer and the small jug of milk for him and set them on the counter. “I do live a peaceful, drama-free life.”
“Really? Says the daughter of the man who forced her to marry to secure a spot in his will. And the woman who hasn’t spoken to her twin sister in what, four months now? I think everyone in your family would rather eat crow than apologize. Should I mention—”
“I get your point.” She was grateful that the last bit of coffee spurted into her cup because she needed a caffeine fix fast to endure this exchange. She stirred a healthy dose of creamer into her cup and looked at him through the furling steam. “First off, Honor is still mad at me, and second, we do talk.”
“That bickering over Sunday dinner last week was called “talking’? It sounded more like two barn cats fighting over the last drop of milk.” The kettle whistled and he poured hot water into his cup followed by a heavy splash of milk.
“You’re not used to big family dinners. Everyone always bickers.” She gave a small wave of her fingers. She didn’t want to discuss Honor, or any of her sisters for that matter. She had an agenda that needed to happen before it was too late.
What was too late?
Each day she felt like things were getting deeper, more complex. Liberty had never liked for her life to be out of control. She’d always been the type to rush in and fix things, before they turned messy. Things with Wyler were headed on a path she wasn’t ready for.
“We’ve reached the end of our marriage,” she said as she set her cup down, suddenly feeling a little dizzy. She could blame it on her nerves, or how she’d been working non-stop for the last few months since she’d started the science-based horse training program, Stellar Steeds. Late nights and vigorous training had become the norm. She and Wyler had always seemed to find the time to land in bed, no matter how tired they both were. He worked hard too. Her daddy’s motto “hands work hard, and family works even harder” rang true. He expected the crew to treat the land like it belonged to them.
Wyler wasn’t a stranger to hard work though. His work ethic matched her own and was one of the things she admired most about him.
“That’s not what I saw last night,” he said smoothly, his gaze trickling warmth into her body.
“Wyler…”
“Liberty.” Her name fell off his lips like melted butter.
“Last night…well, I understand…” The words were lost when he closed the gap between them. She lifted her chin to look up—way up. At five-seven, she wasn’t short, but he clocked in at six-three, two-hundred pounds of lean muscle, and he surrounded her with his size like a cozy blanket on a cold night. He’d always made her feel safe and secure, until she reminded herself they had an expiration date.
He braced his hands on the counter on either side of her, sandwiching her in with his powerful arms. His scent, a blend of sandalwood, mint, and coffee, enlightened her senses. Her body became slick with need that he stirred in her so easily.
“What exactly do you understand?” he whispered.
She rested her hand against his chest, thinking she would push him away, but instead she absorbed his heat and energy through her palm. “We do have chemistry. That is understood, but we had an arrangement. This was temporary. A trade. You married me in exchange for part of Crescent Rose. You should be happy that I’m ending things sooner. You can move forward with your plans.”
