Two lawyers; as unlikely a union as two Scorpios…the secret that could ruin their lives…and the miracle that saves them.Rachel Thomas is a coveted El Paso lawyer. Her prowess in the courtroom is enough to shun any criminal into retirement. But her partnership in the legal firm is sullied by the big cheese, who burdens his staff with large case loads while he basks on his yacht for sport. The ranch she grew up on seems a distant memory most weeks, while she prepares briefings and depositions for her clients, and her family slops horse manure and raises beasts, all while missing their beloved sister and daughter. Until Chad Hedger walks into the firm one day, dulling her focus and warming her bed, quicker than she could win a case.Chad Hedger lives a life most men would only dream of, with one exception. He's a successful attorney, single, painfully handsome, and has enough charm to win over any female. Trouble is, no female has ever caught his eye. And his family life is displaced so much that any woman would run the other way. When Chad is disowned by his father, he's forced to move from his beloved hometown in Dallas, to El Paso, and has been sworn to never look back. And when he begins working for the same law firm as Rachel Thomas, he begins missing Dallas more than ever. Rachel is the only salvation Chad has, but is that enough?When tragedy strikes back home in Dallas, Chad has to make a quick decision, and move back to his hometown, leaving behind a girl who has shown him more love than anyone else has his entire life. He has to choose between two things that matter more to him than anything, but he doesn't realize that there is a third thing. And neither does Rachel, until Chad's bags are packed. Is it too late?HEA (Happily Ever After)Ranch romanceCowboy romanceOffice romanceAlcohol abuseMild violenceMedium heatCourse languageCliffhanger ending"I love this series the author has a way of making the characters and feelings come alive on the pages of her books I highly recommend this author and this series." - 5 Stars from Amazon reviewer"Ms. Appleyard takes us on a journey of family obligations, emotional baggage, and twists that keep you reading and hungry for more. A story that will not disappoint." - 5 Stars from Belinda, Booksprout reviewer"An absolutely awesome story!" - Kathleen Bulfon, Amazon reviewer"Here is a storyline that has well developed characters that manages to draw me in from beginning to the end." - 5 Stars from Elvira, Amazon reviewer"Highly recommend!" - 5 Stars from buzymomof2, Amazon reviewer Some have said that if you see me on the street (usually with a book in hand or a laptop fired up), I appear a cold, hard-fisted person. However, once we've spoken for five minutes or less, you'll have laughed at least once. That is, provided you appreciate sarcastic, self-deprecating wit.My first short story was penned in middle school and I was hooked ever since.I graduated with honours from Humber College and began working as an Administrative Coordinator for a large, multinational corporation shortly afterward. Quickly learning that the corporate world, despite the love I had for my job, is a slow killer of creativity, I chose to quit during maternity leave in 2006.Difficulty thinking outside the box soon evaporated when I received something that didn't come in one: my first child. While at home with the baby my imaginative energy got the better of me and my first memoir was written. It had been a dream of mine to write about my late father, who passed away from alcoholism in 1992, and it took me two years to compose a fifty-page manuscript, but I did it.After my second daughter was born in 2008 I had more fuel to write, and felt it necessary to voice the challenges and inherent gifts I acquired during my struggles with Scoliosis. Hence, my second memoir was born. The words flowed out of me with such ease I shocked myself.My love for words grew with each book I read and every word I wrote. I soon realize
