Cover Reveal & Excerpt: Heart's Desire by T J Kline
Heart's Desire
by T J Kline
April 28th
The Healing Hart Series:
The Healing Harts series came to me one
night as I was just falling asleep. It jerked me awake, making me sit
up in bed. It was one of those ideas that came completely formulated,
an entire series, like a lightning bolt to the brain, and I haven’t
been able to shake loose of it until it was written down. A family,
rocked by loss, each member with a desire to help others in their own
way.
In the first book, Heart’s Desire,
Jessie is faced with running the family dude ranch alone after her
parent’s unexpected death. Unbeknownst to her siblings, she and her
father were transitioning the ranch to an abused horse rescue
facility but she’s floundering to keep it afloat and bankruptcy is
looming. Her brother, Justin, decides it’s time to call his college
buddy, Nathan Kerrington, for help – the same man who shattered her
heart eight years earlier.
Nathan Kerrington knows he hurt Jessie
but he had a good reason for it. Now he just has to prove that to her
and regain her trust. But, as old hurts rise to the surface, they
must resolve their past before they can attempt to save her future
and some hurts aren’t easily forgiven.
Choosing the cover for HEART’S DESIRE
When we started looking for covers for
Jessie and Nathan’s story, I had a very clear picture in my mind. I
knew exactly what my characters look like and the feel I wanted for
the series as a whole. We had also decided very early to go with only
the main characters on these books. I also knew that while all three
books should tie together, I wanted Jet, one of Jessie’s horses, on
the cover somewhere. He plays an important part in discovering
herself at different points in the story.
But Jessie is such a strong,
independent character, she fought me at every step, whether it was in
the first draft or the final cover. We went through several pictures
and many would have worked with the mood of the book but there was
always something that didn’t suit Jessie’s personality. Again,
Jessie was determined to have her own way.
In the end, she chose her own photo. As
soon as I saw it, I knew this was Jessie and there was no need to
look further for a cover photo. This cover portrays Jessie’s
character better than words – pensive, wistful and ambitious. The
fact that Jet was able to be part of this cover was the icing on the
cake for me.
Excerpt:
"I came to
apologize, Jess. I shouldn't have said those things."
She ignored the way
her nickname slid easily from his lips or the way it made her heart
trip over her ribs and start fluttering like a baby bird learning to
take flight. She'd quit buying into romantic notions a long time ago
thanks to him. Now, if only she could convince her body to let them
go. She set the rake against the wall and walked into the aisle way.
"It's Jessie.
Jessie. We are not
friends, remember?"
His green eyes
flashed, the golden flecks lighting them from within, and she saw
frustration in the set of his jaw. "No?"
"No. Let's keep
our roles in perspective. You're the financial genius here to do a
favor for my brother, and I'm just his idiot little sister who bought
your load of crap years ago and can't manage to keep this ranch
afloat now."
His long strides ate
the distance between them in seconds but she stood her ground,
staring up at him, daring him to argue. His lips were tight, set in a
grim line and a deep crease lined his perfect brow. She wanted to
back away, but years of working with her father wouldn't allow her to
show any signs of intimidation. Cowgirl
up,
she recited the mantra in her head, although not nearly as
confidently as she usually did.
"Don't do
that," he ordered, staring down into her eyes, his voice quiet
but insistent.
She could feel the
heat emanating from him as sparks of desires burst in her chest,
sending shivers over her skin. She tried to control it, to stop
herself from trembling at his nearness but she couldn't stop her
breath from catching in her throat. "Don't do what?" Her
voice was a hoarse whisper.
"Don't belittle
yourself. You are far more than that. You've always been more than
that to me." His hands grasped her upper arms and he dipped his
head toward her, his eyes never leaving hers. "You're a
talented, kind, giving, passionate woman."
It wasn't what
Jessie expected. His words were a balm to her chapped and aching
heart, exactly what she needed to hear, but she knew she couldn't let
him break past her walls. Who knew what damage he could cause her
heart when he left again. She'd barely managed to piece together the
shards last time. She pressed her hands against his chest, intending
to push him away from her, but he gently circled her wrists with his
fingers. Their eyes locked and she refused to be the first to look
away.
"Nathan."
She meant for it to be a warning but it came out sounding more like a
plea.
"What, Jess?"
He placed his palms
over the back of her hands and twined his fingers between hers. His
touch made her weak and she felt a wave of need break over her,
threatening to drown her. She'd been so in love with him, and it had
left a gaping hole in her, one she’d never managed to fill, not
even with her work.
Nathan walked her
backward until she felt the stall behind her. With the hard wall of
his body pressing against the front of her, pinning their hands
between them, there was nowhere for her to escape the explosion of
yearning that began in the middle of her chest, spreading outward,
heating her and leaving her breathless. Every inhalation filled her
with the scent of his expensive cologne, reminding her again how out
of place he was. He didn't belong here. But seeing the desire in his
eyes, feeling it in every inch of him pressing up against her, made
Jessie want to wrap her legs around his waist and let him take her
right here in the barn.
She couldn't
possibly feel this way about him again. She couldn’t imagine
feeling any other way about him. She needed this man. Not just wanted
him, needed
him, and that scared the crap out of her.
He was going to kiss
her, and she was going to melt under his touch. There was no doubt in
her mind. If that happened, she was a goner. Because, for her, this
wasn't about sex, this was about how Nathan made her feel, how he'd
always made her feel - understood and validated and worthy. The only
other time Jessie felt that way was when she worked with her horses.
How had this man
recognized the weakness in her, buried deeply, and unearthed it so
easily? Panic set in. She had to protect herself. She couldn't let
Nathan in, couldn't let him get close again. She shoved against his
hands, using her body to knock him off balance, backward against the
handles of the wheelbarrow and into the bucket.
"You can finish
the stalls."
She ran out of the
barn, refusing to look back at the man trying to piece together a
full sentence from where he landed, inside a wheelbarrow full of
fresh horse manure.
About the Author:
T. J. Kline was raised competing in rodeos and Rodeo Queen competitions since the age of 14 and has thorough knowledge of the sport as well as the culture involved. She has written several articles about rodeo for small periodicals, as well as a more recent how-to article for RevWriter, and has published a nonfiction health book and two inspirational fiction titles under the name Tina Klinesmith. She is also an avid reader and book reviewer for both Tyndale and Multnomah. In her spare time, she can be found laughing hysterically with her husband, children, and their menagerie of pets in Northern California.
Comments
Post a Comment