'Chance of the Heart' Snippet & Giveaway

Hey guys! ALMOST TIME! I'm dying for you all to read Chance of the Heart., releasing Monday, January 26. So much going on right now I wanted to make sure to get in an extra snippet and a giveaway!

So I'll get right to it. In the excerpt below, our boys went on a trail ride after a long day of crunching numbers. It'd been Bradley's first time in the saddle since he'd returned home, and in more than five years.



“I missed this.”

“Mis’t wah?” Chance responded, mouth full. Bradley chuckled.

“This. It’s nice being in a town with more than a couple thousand people, but I forget how calming it is to be out here.”

“Yeah.” Chance’s voice was almost reverent as his eyes looked out over the land. “It is nice ain’t it.”

“I guess you get so wrapped up in making money and going out, you forget how nice a simple day on the trails can be.”

“Did you enjoy college?” Chance asked, offering the bowl of blueberries and sliced strawberries.

Bradley took a strawberry and popped it in his mouth before answering. How did he answer without seeming like he was making a veiled statement about Chance’s own situation. But all he could say was the truth. “Yes. I loved it. It was hard after the thing with my dad, but there was nothing like standing on my own two feet, figuring out who I was and what I wanted from life without the pressure of people looking over my shoulders. At school, no one knew I was heir apparent to The Good Reverend.

“Most of the people I graduated with from Hope Springs have kids and a mortgage, had one well before me. But I just… wanted more. I was never going to take over my dad’s church and the ranch was never a functioning ranch, mostly just to show off Dad’s wealth.”

He glanced at Chance who was gazing somberly over the distance. “Must be nice not to have had it all planned out for you.”

Bradley huffed. “Oh, they all assumed I’d come back to Blessed Union. But I think my sister and I were behind the scenes as it was built, saw the hot air that went into being The Reverend Gerald Heart, Captain and Commander of Heart of the Heartland Ministries. It was all so much more bluster and profiteering than it was actual faith.”

Chance looked startled. Bradley had forgotten that was another way they’d known each other, Chance’s parents being Members, Chance probably having been baptized there. Bradley amended, “No, I don’t mean he doesn’t believe. He definitely believes in the things he says. Unfortunately, he went from pure faith to believing his own hype. So watching that kind of de-railed mine and Heather’s faith.”

“I guess I never really thought about it.”

“Sorry, I know you probably still attend services.”

“Only every once in a while. Not like any one notices anyways since there’s about two thousand people and all.”

“True. Anyways, yeah. College was good. I liked it. I made some dumb decisions. First and foremost being dating about a dozen losers. But I feel like I’m better for it.”

 

Chance grunted.

“You know I’m not… Chance I don’t think you have to date a million people. Look at all the people around here who’ve done just fine with the same way of life that’s been Hope Springs since it was founded.”

“I know. I didn’t think you were going on about me. Although, it does speak to my situation.”

Bradley felt he had a much better grasp of Chance’s “situation” after today. It answered so many questions as to why the guy seemed like he’d lived in a bubble. And that’s because he had. Yes, he’d gone to public school. But his friends were all like-minded. His dad had kept him on a tight leash. He hadn’t done more than a couple years of community college and now, knowing he’d saved every penny by barely ever leaving the ranch, Bradley ached for the guy. But it was Chance’s life. And a good friend would let him figure out what to do on his own.

“So why aren’t you going ahead with the restaurant? I’ve not seen you that excited about anything. Ever.” Okay, so the guy could figure it out on his own, but a good friend could nudge a little here and there.

Chance’s sigh carried on the wind, sadly. “It’s not like I’d get to enjoy it. The point of having the restaurant would be being able to cook there. But all my time goes into this land.”

“But you love cooking.”

“And I love my family.” Touché.

“But they love you too. They’d want you to be happy. You love horses and the ranch, I know, but it seems more like a hobby.”

“You don’t get it,” Chance snapped.

“I guess I don’t,” Bradley responded, primly. He didn’t know why he’d pushed. Way to nudge asshole.

“Sorry,” Chance said, deflated. Bradley didn’t want to say anything else. It looked like Chance was on the verge of speaking again and Bradley didn’t know what to say. He’d been having such a good time. He hadn’t meant to ruin it.

“Becket son after son has taken the reins of Red River since my great-grandfather bought the land right after he finished fighting in World War I. I didn’t meet the man but his legacy is the family pride,” Chance said. He’d jumped up and paced a couple times, not looking at Bradley.

“But it didn't take long for the idea of being stuck right here for the rest of my life to make my collar feel tight like a noose. I don't know what point it’d started but definitely over the last year or so. If I'm honest, it was probably about the time the legal papers had been drawn up naming me sole owner of the actual ranch and its lands, when my parents pass on. My brother will just be a minority profit sharer. I first felt a moment of 'oh shit' when Daddy signed on the dotted lines. Hell, Caitlin was surprised when I didn’t invite her to the party celebrating the change and my brother’s first year of success at his own ranch. I told her it was a small party, but mostly it was because I didn’t much feel like celebrating. That's when the worst three words popped in my head for the first time in my life and took over every other waking thought.”

Bradley wanted to offer some comfort, but what could you say? You could tell someone over and over to take the reins back. But he grew up here, too. It just wasn’t done. He’d only severed the ties by coming out. And Chance was nowhere near doing that. Maybe in a couple years he’d be there, he was definitely chafing enough to do it. But by then his parents would see him married off with a kid on the way.

“What three words?”

Chance finally looked at him, his tone forlorn as he said, “Is this enough?”

Bradley shuddered. He ached for Chance but there were no words. Chance was trapped in an ages old dilemma and because he probably was behind most in world experience, he’d have to figure it out.



Alright guys, that's it for the snippet. Now, time for the giveaway!

It's a rafflecopter so it's as simple as retweeting and commenting on this post. The giveaway has already started and runs until midnight on the 24th so everyone gets an e-mail with their copy of Chance of the Heart bright and early on the 26th. The winner of the signed paperback will get info in their e-mail that day as well. So here's the prizes:

Chance of the Heart Giveaway

 

1 winner receives a signed paperback copy of CotH as well as

an eBook copy on release day, and choice of backlist title eBook

 

2 winners receive eBook copies of CotH on release days as well as

choice of any backlist title eBook

 

3 winners receive any backlist title eBook



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck guys!
<3kaderade

Chance of the Heart 

by Kade Boehme

Coming January 26!

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