RELEASE DAY BLITZ
TITLE: Let It Be Me
AUTHOR: Barbara Speak
COVER MODEL: Mac Robinson &
Alexandra Jones
RELEASE DAY: June 16th, 2015
"I love a book that can keep me guessing!
With twists and turns you won't see coming this is a must read for 2015!"
#1 NYT Best Selling Author Rachel Van Dyken
Arianna Dubray is nothing like the girl she left
in Baltimore. Once a Prada shoe wearing, Michael Kors bag carrying, on top of
the world seventeen-year-old girl, Arianna knew that her life would never be
the same when she got out of the car in middle-of-nowhere Montana.
Canyon Michaels is the keeper of his own dark
secrets. Plagued by his family name, he's forced to prove the town wrong and
make it on his own.
The last thing Arianna needs is a reason to stay,
but with every passing day the decision to leave becomes harder. Once their
paths cross nothing can tear them apart, other than the secrets that start to
surface and the nightmares that soon become their reality.
The truck was just as ugly the
second time I had seen it as it was the first. Nothing was endearing or cute
about it. He must have bought it off an elderly farmer who couldn't drive
anymore because no one would be selling this beast in a car lot that's for
sure. Opening the door, the same wave of stale cigarette smoke hit me. This
time I slid myself over to the passenger side and rolled down the window doing
the same on my side after I was done. The cracking noise could still be heard
when I pulled the door closed too.
"I can't say I expected you
to change while I was in class but it sure would have been nice."
I put the key in the ignition and
turned it over only to hear a click and then nothing.
"NO, NO, NO! Please don't do
this to me!"
Four more attempts with the same
result. Nothing.
I pulled out my phone to call for
someone to get me but that someone didn't exist. He would rather me never come
back. My mother wouldn't dare go against his wishes and Shelby obviously can't
drive.
Grabbing my purse and backpack I
started doing the only thing I could, I walked. I tried to find positive in a
negative situation but there really wasn't one. My feet hurt, I was thirsty and
if one more person drove by staring at me without even offering me a ride I was
going to flip out. I thought country people were supposed to be nice. Isn't
that what everyone says? Well, they're wrong or there aren't any in Highgrove,
Montana.
My cell phone died sometime
around four-thirty. Well, that was the last time I checked it and around
ten minutes later it was dead. I had been walking for over an hour and a half
and saw a total of two cars.
"WHAT THE HELL HAVE I DONE TO
DESERVE THIS?" I screamed it at the top of my lungs hoping God would just
finish the job and take me out of my misery.
All of a sudden, I heard the
engine of a car coming from behind me. This was it. My final hope for humanity
to restore itself. It got closer. I could feel the wind change and the
vibration within it.
"Please, please be someone
nice enough to give me a ride or someone crazy enough to off me ‘cause I can't
take this anymore."
I turned around just as the truck
approached me praying for a miracle but sure enough the prick kept his foot on
the pedal.
I grabbed a handful of rocks from
the side of the road and threw them right at that pretty truck he was driving.
The brake lights came on just as
the clang from the rocks started hitting the tailgate. The tires screamed
against the blacktop while the back end kicked to the side from stopping so
fast. My eyes practically bulged out of my head when the driver side door flew
open.
And oh shit was mild compared to
what I would have said if I had known who the fury coming at me was before I
decided to throw rocks at his truck. How could I not have thought it was him? I
had seen that truck before.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH
YOU?"
"ME? YOU’RE THE ASSHOLE THAT
WOULDN'T EVEN STOP FOR A POOR GIRL WALKING DOWN A FREAKING ENDLESS ROAD!"
I can't believe I did it. Never in
a million years would I have ever even thought to do something like this but I
reached down in my rage, grabbed a handful of rocks again and threw them right
at his chest. Wall of muscle or not he could take that and suck on it.
"John, is it? Well, John, let me try this again. My name is
Canyon Michaels. My house is the last one you pass before you get here from
town. Your daughter seemed to be desperate for someone's attention and decided
her only option at the time was to throw rocks at my truck. Now, I could make
you pay for it, but I think a better lesson for Ari here is to work it off."
John openly laughed. Loud. "You want her to work?
Seriously? She doesn't have a clue how to do anything for herself other than
screw up."
Canyon's hands began to flex into fists and the light in his
eyes left. "Well, it can go my way or yours. She can work every day after
school on my ranch or you can go inside and get your wallet to pay me in cash.
It's up to you."
My jaw fell to the ground. As much of an ass as my step-dick
was, he was also right. I didn't have a clue what to do on a farm and there was
absolutely no way in hell I was shoveling crap.
"You got yourself a deal."
I didn't know which way John was going with this but regardless
I was going to suffer from my actions once again. "What will it be? Work
or cash?"
"Oh, she can work. I'm not paying a damn dime for this one.
She's already cost us everything." He looked over at me with disdain.
"Have you told your new friend here about that yet? I bet not. Well there,
I gave you something to talk about while you shovel shit. Ha! This is priceless!"
My step-dick had proved what a dick he actually was as he walked
back into the house laughing, leaving me to face Canyon. I couldn't. I stared
at the ground while I heard the crunch of gravel under his shoes as he
approached me.
The tips of his red Nike shocks were now all I could see before
his finger came to rest under my chin and forced me to look up at him. The long
journey up his body brought me to his black workout pants first, then the red
t-shirt that clung to his body perfectly until his sharp jaw, amazing lips and
finally those eyes were all I could see.
"Don't, Arianna," was all I kept repeating in my head.
He's nothing but another man that can hurt you.
Damn, why did he have to ask that? Letting my eyes fall, I
thought to myself, “No, I am not okay. Did you not just hear what I deal with
every day?” How could I even answer that question?
"Hey, look at me. Please?"
My eyes came back to his but I was done. Spent. I didn't want to
do anything but go inside and cry myself to sleep. "Don't let him do this
to you. Don't let it break you."
"I do. More than you could ever know."
I went to speak again but Canyon cut me off.
"I did this for you, you know. I saw what you have here and
was trying to get you out, not make things harder. That man would never want to
pay and I knew it. Now you can spend every day away from this."
"But it will never end..."
A tear slid down my face at the same time his thumb wiped it
away.
"It
will. Someday it will."
Author
Barbara Speak loves nothing more than being allowed to share her ideas and
thoughts through books that so many enjoy. When she's not writing she's caring
for her son and daughter along side her amazing husband in rural Missouri. She
has 5 more babies but these are covered in fur. Bode the boxer, Tucker the
beagle and Lily, Callie and Connor her kitties.
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