Ride A Painted Pony

the long version

On a dark, lonely stretch of Midwest interstate, Nick Red Shield swerves his pickup and empty horse trailer to avoid a pair of eyes. They belong to a woman—battered, bruised and barely conscious—in desperate need of a lift. Lauren Davis grew up in the high-stakes world of horse racing, a world that took her to fame as a jockey and into a relationship with a dangerous high roller. Life with Raymond Vargas has turned deadly, forcing her on the run, but she can't abandon her son, and now she'll do anything to get him back safe. While Nick's instincts as a loner kick into high gear, Lauren's vulnerability tugs at him in ways he'd shut down long ago. A man more comfortable with horses than people, unable to make peace with a past that's left him scarred, Nick's not sure about secretive Lauren. But he can't just leave her. And he really doesn't want her to go.