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Roulette Rematch – featuring my story Shattered
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Co-authored with Shanna Handel:
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Shifter's Call Trilogy:
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The Wolf's Demand
Her Alpha Mates
The Power of the Pack
Her Domineering Daddies by Adaline Raine (MMF)
Copyright © 2022 by Adaline Raine and Red Hot Romance Inc.
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including, but not limited to, photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author. [email protected]
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, places, locales, and events are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, and events are purely coincidental.
Chapter 1
Monica
It was the wrong time to go riding and I knew it. The overcast sky had been promising heavy rain and there was plenty of work that needed doing around the ranch, but I had to get out.
Once upon a time, and not that long ago, six months maybe, there was nothing I would have liked more than to be rained in with my handsome boyfriend, Trey. We had been dating a few months before when we decided to move in together. It wasn't just because we wanted the closeness. I had secured a job at his brother Grant's ranch and it was a convenient excuse. Now living with Trey in the cottage of my dreams for the past year felt like a nightmare.
I had thrown myself into my chores the last few days, doing everything that was asked of me, only to fail, but Trey ignored my efforts and my complaints. Frustrated, I admit I began to act out, but he ignored that too. It all blew up today. All I did was poke at him, demanding a reaction. He sat there, stone-faced while I did it, barely acknowledging me at all, and the next thing I knew, I was yelling, stomping and slamming the door as I left.
This was an all-too common scene lately. He ignored me, my tantrums, our rules, and everything else. He had been sleeping too little and drinking too much. It wasn’t a good combination for anyone. My hopeful happily-ever-after had become my happily- never- after.
It was a trap I couldn’t escape from because deep down I loved Trey. I wanted us to work out. I knew he wanted that too even though we were not on the same page at the moment. We had reconnected for a few days when it came to a head a several weeks ago, but it had proved short lived.
It seldom mattered now, because I was terrible at navigating my way around town and worse at riding a horse. Now I was lost. Hopelessly. Helplessly. Lost.
Guiding the gray Arabian horse onto what I thought was the path back to the ranch, I suddenly found myself staring down oncoming traffic. The driver barely had enough time to swerve to avoid slamming into me and Dorianne. The car spun, tires squealing as it careened from one lane to the other, but somehow stayed on the road and did not end up in the nearby ditch or wrapped around a tree. I hoped once it got clear, it would continue, but no such luck. As I heard it begin to back up, I did my best to stay calm and soothe Dorianne. Patting her neck and saying soft words, I got down and tied her to a nearby post.
“Have you lost your ever-loving mind, girly?”
Mr. Clementine, the man currently shaking his fist at me, lived next door to my parents. I glanced over my shoulder and noticed a cop car had pulled over. Great. I was in deep trouble.
“I’m sorry.” I offered my hand to the sweet old man, but he waved me off.
“Didn’t your parents teach you how to ride?” he demanded.
“Is everyone okay?” Sam Nash called as he jogged over to us. He was the last police officer I wanted to bump into.
“This girl–” Mr. Clementine walked to his car, muttering, “Hang on, I need my glasses. They must have gotten knocked off my face when I swerved.”
