"How could I ever go on without her..."
RYAN'S LOVE
Author: C.A. Harms
Series: Sawyer Brothers #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
Release Date: August 11, 2015
- SYNOPSIS -
One of the hardest things I have ever had to do was bury my wife.
One of the hardest things I have ever had to do was bury my wife.
The second hardest thing would be watching my 12 year old daughter fall to her knees as they lowered her mother into the ground to rest.
A heart wrenching vision that will forever be etched in my mind.
Claire was my best friend, she had been since we were barely old enough to talk. I always knew, one day, I would marry her. I think I may have even told her that a few times while we were growing up.
Never did I think I would lose her so suddenly.
I knew at that moment…
Our life would never be the same again…
I couldn’t contain my happiness. Hell, I had forgotten what it was like to hold a woman close. To hold her hand in mine or to bury my face at the base of her neck, just where it meets her shoulder. The comfort of having a woman in my arms was something I thought I’d never have the pleasure of again.
Amber was different than any other woman I had met over the years. She was so sweet, shy, and compassionate. She was so easy to talk to, and the way she listened to me made me feel like she was hanging on my every word. The way she looked at me also made me feel like I’d hung the moon. It was reassuring to have someone I could share time with, someone that didn’t know me during the darkest part of my life. She gave me the chance to let a little of the old me shine through. I had really missed the old me.
“Climb up,” I said from behind her as she stood staring up at the horse only a few feet from her with a look of panic on her face. I was more than positive this was the closest this city girl had ever been to one.
She peered back over her shoulder, and I almost laughed at how overwhelmed she looked.
“I’m from the city,” she said with wide eyes, emphasizing her loss at what to do. “Ryan, you do understand that we have subways and taxis, right? We do not have horses that are the size of SUVs. I’m going to need a little help if you expect me—” She pointed toward her chest, then spun around to point at the horse. “—to get up on that thing.”
Now I did chuckle. It was impossible not to. She was damn near panicking at the thought of how she would mount and then ride the horse.
I stepped up behind her, my chest fitting flush against her back. Gripping her hips, I leaned my head closer and grazed my lips over her ear. Her body relaxed against mine, and she tilted her head to the side, opening up her neck to me.
As I placed a kiss at the base of her neck, she shuddered in my arms. “You have to put your foot in the stirrups,” I whispered before kissing just below her ear. “I’ll lift as you pull yourself up.”
She nodded with her eyes closed as her chest moved up and down in small pants.
“Go on,” I urged.
I lifted her as she gripped the saddle, and she yelped when I firmly placed her atop Storm, my father’s Oldenburg stallion. Jackson held him steady as I pulled myself up and took my spot behind Amber. Our bodies were so close together I could feel her ragged breaths as she shifted against me with each one.
Earlier, I’d been worried about bringing her to my parents’ house. I wasn’t sure how they would feel about seeing me with another woman after all this time. When I stopped by last night for dinner, I wanted to make sure it was okay, and their answers shocked me. My mother cried and assured me that moving on was for the best. She then admitted she had worried I would never truly be happy again and that imagining me alone without someone to love me broke her heart.
My father gave me one of those manly hugs and said he looked forward to meeting the woman who was bringing back his son. His words rang true as I too felt Amber was allowing me to feel alive again. She had returned my desire to feel, to love.
Jackson, on the other hand, just kept commenting on how good-looking the girl that caught my attention was. He made sure to throw in the fact he met her first and had already been inside her apartment. The cocky son of a bitch was so full of himself, he chose to leave out the part about only being there to move furniture. Noah, of course, was more of the silent type, yet his eyes showed he was pleased with my choices.
“You ready?” I asked Amber while wrapping my arms around her waist and grabbing the reins.
She nodded, and I looked over one last time to see Jackson grinning from ear to ear.
Amber was different than any other woman I had met over the years. She was so sweet, shy, and compassionate. She was so easy to talk to, and the way she listened to me made me feel like she was hanging on my every word. The way she looked at me also made me feel like I’d hung the moon. It was reassuring to have someone I could share time with, someone that didn’t know me during the darkest part of my life. She gave me the chance to let a little of the old me shine through. I had really missed the old me.
“Climb up,” I said from behind her as she stood staring up at the horse only a few feet from her with a look of panic on her face. I was more than positive this was the closest this city girl had ever been to one.
She peered back over her shoulder, and I almost laughed at how overwhelmed she looked.
“I’m from the city,” she said with wide eyes, emphasizing her loss at what to do. “Ryan, you do understand that we have subways and taxis, right? We do not have horses that are the size of SUVs. I’m going to need a little help if you expect me—” She pointed toward her chest, then spun around to point at the horse. “—to get up on that thing.”
Now I did chuckle. It was impossible not to. She was damn near panicking at the thought of how she would mount and then ride the horse.
I stepped up behind her, my chest fitting flush against her back. Gripping her hips, I leaned my head closer and grazed my lips over her ear. Her body relaxed against mine, and she tilted her head to the side, opening up her neck to me.
As I placed a kiss at the base of her neck, she shuddered in my arms. “You have to put your foot in the stirrups,” I whispered before kissing just below her ear. “I’ll lift as you pull yourself up.”
She nodded with her eyes closed as her chest moved up and down in small pants.
“Go on,” I urged.
I lifted her as she gripped the saddle, and she yelped when I firmly placed her atop Storm, my father’s Oldenburg stallion. Jackson held him steady as I pulled myself up and took my spot behind Amber. Our bodies were so close together I could feel her ragged breaths as she shifted against me with each one.
Earlier, I’d been worried about bringing her to my parents’ house. I wasn’t sure how they would feel about seeing me with another woman after all this time. When I stopped by last night for dinner, I wanted to make sure it was okay, and their answers shocked me. My mother cried and assured me that moving on was for the best. She then admitted she had worried I would never truly be happy again and that imagining me alone without someone to love me broke her heart.
My father gave me one of those manly hugs and said he looked forward to meeting the woman who was bringing back his son. His words rang true as I too felt Amber was allowing me to feel alive again. She had returned my desire to feel, to love.
Jackson, on the other hand, just kept commenting on how good-looking the girl that caught my attention was. He made sure to throw in the fact he met her first and had already been inside her apartment. The cocky son of a bitch was so full of himself, he chose to leave out the part about only being there to move furniture. Noah, of course, was more of the silent type, yet his eyes showed he was pleased with my choices.
“You ready?” I asked Amber while wrapping my arms around her waist and grabbing the reins.
She nodded, and I looked over one last time to see Jackson grinning from ear to ear.
Review by Juls
4 Stars!
Wow! This is definitely a story that you will need to grab a box of tissues for! C.A. Harm's stories continue to hit me in the heart; every time! Ryan's story was hard to read. The struggles that he went through after dealing with the loss of his wife were ones that I hope to never have to experience. Not only was he dealing with his loss, but he was also dealing with the sorrow that his daughter was suffering from.
Ryan was a great guy. I loved that he was doing everything he could to be there for his daughter. I liked the relationship that they had. Though at times she felt she had to rebel against him, I could truly feel the strength that they had between them and the love that they shared for each other.
Moving on after his wife's death was hard for Ryan to do. He never felt that he could love anyone as much as he loved her. Three years later, when he met someone that held his interest, he knew it was time to move forward and start living life again. When Ryan spoke to his wife about moving on, it was the first line in his dialogue that brought tears to my eyes....
"I'll live by your words. I'll try to move forward, but never will I forget my love for you. You're always in my heart."
When Ryan meets Amber he notices that for the first time in 3 years he feels like he's finally living. Being around Amber brings him back to life and makes him feel happy. Though the relationship wasn't smooth sailing, I really did like Amber for Ryan. She was really understanding of his situation and open minded when it came to Ryan's daughter.
Another character I enjoyed and I am looking forward to reading about was Amber's best friend, Bailey. She was really funny and I loved her personality. I loved the part where she describes Ryan to a mutual friend of Amber's....
"He's not just a cop, he's a sergeant. He is 'drop to your knees and pant from being overheated with lust' gorgeous. Amazing eyes, amazing body, and those hands...mmm. He is so yummy."
LOL. There were so many things that she would say that would make me crack up. Not to mention the chemistry that she is already having with Jackson! It looks like its going to be pretty explosive. Count me in!
- TEASERS -
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR -
CA Harms
C.A. Harms is like any other addicted reader. She enjoys happy endings and HEA love stories. She hasn't always been a lover of Romance and had once been addicted to a good Mystery. Just recently she has taken on a new liking and now is a full blown Romance novel addict.
She lives in Illinois and enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. You will always find her with her kindle or paperback in hand as it is her favorite pass time.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/charms0814
Limitless Publishing: http://www.limitlesspublishing.net/authors/c-a-harms/
NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/1xsgHCS
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