The Ridges of Wayback, TX

Thank you, Anna Kathryn, for the blogging invitation! I'm thrilled to join you and your reading today here at your blog!

Tomorrow is a big day for me and for some of my favorite folks - imaginary folks, that is. On Tuesday; September 28, the final installment in the Ridges of Wayback, TX trilogy, Bet It On My Heart, will be released in audio book format from AudioLark, completing the Wayback Ridge audio collection.

The Ridges have come a long way - farther than I could have imagined. Originally published as ebook novellas from The Wild Rose Press, Blackest Heart placed first in the novella category of the 2009 More Than Magic Contest then went on to be chosen for publication in the trade paperback anthology The Way Back Home. When I learned they would also be published late this summer as a trio of audio books from AudioLark, I was thrilled. Not just because this is my first experience with the audible industry or because I am a fan of the audio book medium, which I wholeheartedly am. I was excited for these characters, this idiosyncratic family of daredevil cowboys and spunky cowgirls and everyone who surrounds them. When Bet It On My Heart launched as a ebook from The Wild Rose Press in March of this year, I thought my time with the Ridges was over. It felt like the end of a wonderful party and I would have no further excuse to go and visit Stella and Judd (Blackest Heart), Casey and Josie (Bluest Heart), or Keefe and Calli (Bet It On My Heart).

Thank goodness I was wrong! I spent the latter part of August and most of September proofing the audio versions of all three books. If possible, I grew to love these tough alphas and their fiery mates even more than I did before. I couldn't be more happy that audio fans will be able to enjoy the Ridges as much as ebook readers.

To celebrate the audio trilogy's completion, here's an exclusive excerpt from Bet It On My Heart. Enjoy!

Keefe greeted Calli by dropping the hat on her head. Leaning back against the rail, he tipped the brim up to see her face. Her deep, dark eyes were still edged with irritation. “Congrats. No woman I’ve brought home has ever stood up to Nuala. You’ve got real gumption, you know that?”

“I don’t think your nanny likes my particular brand of gumption,” she sneered.

He chuckled. “She’s just going to have to get used to it. After that performance, there’s no way I’m letting you get away too soon.”

Her eyes snagged his, lips pursing as they al-ways did when she was considering him. “What are we doing, Keefe?”

His smile faltered a bit. “What do you mean?”

Calli lifted a shoulder. “Don’t you think things are getting in a little…deeper than we set out to go?”

He frowned. “Are we talking about sex? The last time I checked, we hadn’t had it yet.”

She blew out an unbelieving laugh. “Wow. Okay. Blatant works.” She paused, gathering her words with care. “I just want to make sure you haven’t forgotten I’m only here for a couple of weeks.”

“You aren’t going to let Nuala chase you away early, are you?”

“Keefe,” she muttered, eyeing him under the brim of her hat. “I’m being serious here.”

Catching her drift, he cleared his throat and reached out to pat the nearest flank. “All right. No, I haven’t forgotten. But I think you did for a while there and that scared the livin’ daylights out of you.”

Calli’s mouth opened to protest then closed after one look at his knowing expression. Her eyes dodged his, lips folding into that intriguing purse again. “You’re amazingly astute for a down and dirty cowpoke.”

“I’m great with advice, too. And I think you should be asking yourself what you want from this because I knew what I wanted from the start.”

Her eyes widened as her gaze returned to his. “What’s that?” she asked after several shocked seconds of silence.

Keefe stepped to her, angled down and tipped his head to get underneath the brim of her hat and slide a hand around the nape of her neck, cloaking her mouth with his. He breathed her in, that exquisite scent he knew was as expensive as it was potent.

When her hand gripped his shoulder and she shifted so she leant into him, he looped an arm around her waist and pulled back to see the sultry burn of the red horizon reflected in her eyes. Teasing her, he brushed his nose over hers then turned his lips to graze her cheek when her lips tipped up, seeking his. “I never get into something like this without wanting to ride it out until it burns out.” He brushed a lock of hair from her cheek. “If I get burned at the end it, it’s okay because I knew the risk to begin with. If the risk scares you, you don’t need to be here with me, Cal. But I have a feeling this tough, Hollywood agent didn’t make it to the top without taking some kind of risk first.”

“I usually know my odds before I leap.”

He made a face. “Where’s the fun in that?”

The first two books in the Wayback Ridge Trilogy are available already in audio book at AudioLark. Ebook readers, get your copy of the entire Ridge trilogy today at The Wild Rose Press.

Amber Leigh Williams is a member of Romance Writers of America, former Secretary of the GCCRWA, and a reviewer for The Season. Her first western romance, Blackest Heart, is a 1st Place More Than Magic Novella and her historical romance, Forever Amore, was nominated for Best Book of 2009 by Long & Shore Reviews. She is represented by D4EO Literary Agency and lives on the Gulf Coast with her husband and three labs. Visit her on the web at www.amberleighwilliams.com!