Guess how long it took me to write the blurb for FALLING FOR THE STRANGER? Three days! Plus, I needed my eagle-eye writer pal, Rogenna Brewer’s help. Gah. I hope this isn’t a pattern. There are at least five books in this series. 😉

Here it is. Does it work for you? I’m open to suggestions.

FALLING FOR THE STRANGER - Gold Country Book 3

He might not be a cowboy, but he looks damn fine in Wranglers.

Harley Forester—wannabe cowboy working as a ranch hand—may not know how to rope, but something about him pulls Andi Sullivan in. She’s back in Coyote Springs to help her family and reboot her future after a disappointing career choice—complete with a man or three she’d like to forget. Could a stranger without a past be the man she’s been searching for all along?

She’s determined to find his past, but what if his crash wasn’t an accident?

Harley’s memory disappeared into a steep ravine—along with his ID and namesake bike. Recurring dreams haunt his sleep. Flashes of images bring on devastating migraine headaches. Red flags that would send most women running. Not Andi Sullivan—a tough as nails ex-Marine who wouldn’t think of leaving a fallen man behind.

In Coyote Springs, people fondly remember little Andi Sullivan’s Daddy List. But the town is on edge worrying that the triplet with a “heart of gold” is going to lose that heart—and everything else she holds dear--by falling for a stranger with no name, a mysterious past, and a questionable future.

Memory is a powerful part of identity. Andi’s fighting for a man she thinks she knows, but, really, who is Harley Forester? You’ll find out when you read Falling For the Stranger—Gold Country, Book 3 in this heart-warming series from bestselling author Debra Salonen.

This book will release wide on: May 2, 2022.

We hope to have the PREORDER up by April 1. I’ll share the links here just as soon as they’re available. As I did last time, Preorder will make sure you get the special 99¢ release price.

Here’s a little snippet that made me smile. I apologize if it sounds a tiny bit political. Not my intention. It was simply Ida Jane, who reminds me so much of my late mother. Both had a tendency to say politically incorrect, sometimes cringe-worthy things.

Falling for a Stranger ~ Excerpt
Copyright © Loner Llama Press

Harley had dined with the other ranch hands at the crack of dawn so he wasn’t starved, but Sunday was his day off so he might as well make the most of it. A second breakfast—maybe it qualified as brunch—along with a recap of Andi Sullivan’s life story sounded perfect. Today’s my lucky day.
       “I don’t understand, Ida Jane. What business was it of theirs what Andi chose to do with her life?” He looked at Andi, her posture tense but present. “From the few times our paths have crossed, I would say Andi is sensible and down-to-earth, and she possesses a rare ability to cut through baloney.”
       Her posture relaxed a tiny bit, as if she hadn’t expected an ally in this conversation.
       “If this town helped raised her, wouldn’t they have noticed at some point that she’d grown up with the kind of core values they could be proud of?”
       “Thank you.” Andi sat forward and pointed his way. “My point exactly.”
       Ida Jane ignored her niece’s comment. “Oh, they did—deep down, but, you see, the townsfolk set up scholarships for the girls when they were just tiny babies. And once money’s on the table, people approach things differently...like maybe they should have a say in what the girls did with those gifts,” Ida said.
       “They wanted to know they got a good return on their investment.”
       “Exactly. Jenny used her money to go to college. Kristin left home right out of high school. Never touched a dime. Far as I know, it’s still in a trust somewhere. Andi here went to junior college for two years, but instead of finishing up her degree, like the town expected, she joined the army.”
       “Marines, Auntie.”
       “Whatever,” Ida returned testily.
       Andi’s cheeks colored. He could tell she regretted correcting Ida Jane. “Sorry.”
       The old woman gave her a sour look then went on. “The thing is, everyone in Coyote Springs thinks they had a hand in raising the triplets, so they’re quick to add their two cents’ whenever they see the need.”
       “I’ll vouch for that,” Andi said, the hint of irony not lost on him.
       “But why the marines? That seems like an extreme choice.”
       Andi turned her laser focus on him. “For a woman?” she asked before polishing off her last bite of toast.
       “I…guess.”
       Before she could finish swallowing, Ida Jane said, “To find a man, of course.”
       Andi, who’d just picked up two eggs from an open carton, did a bit of juggling before she hastily cracked them into the sizzling skillet. “Auntie,” she gently scolded. “That was not the reason.”
       “But, dear, you’ve been looking for a man for this family ever since you were old enough to walk.”
       Andi groaned. “No. Not that story.”
       “All of her friends had fathers. So, Andi figured our family wasn’t complete without one.” She addressed Harley as if Andi weren’t in the room.
       “Ida, that’s not true. We had…we have a great family.”
       Her aunt ignored her. “Andi was always bringing home one prospect after another.” She snickered softly. “Some cases were rather humorous—like that fellow who worked at the hotel. What was his name?” She looked at Andi for help, but Andi had one hand plastered to her face and didn’t answer.
       Ida frowned in consternation. “He was several years younger than me. Quite nice looking. Unfortunately, he was a little light in the briefs if you get my drift.”
       Andi’s expression turned mortified and her cheeks blossomed with color. “Auntie. Please. We’ve had this conversation before. Just say gay.”

Joshua Tree National Park, part 2

In 1936, FDR declared this area at the conjunction of two deserts, the Mojave and the Colorado a National Monument. In 1994, as part of the California Desert Protection Act, it was renamed as a national park. It’s made up of nearly 800,000 acres!

Because of Paul’s knee, we didn’t do a lot of hiking, but we did make it to a fabulous, 5, 185’ lookout called Key’s View. We could see Palm Springs to the west and the Salton Sea to the south. Amazing!!

Named for the Joshua Tree, which is really a species of yucca, the plants remind me of something Dr. Seuss would have drawn.

They’re home to a multitude of animals and birds—and some happened to be flowering when we were there. 

One of the big draws is the many and varied rock formations. (If you can enlarge the bottom pic, you’ll see a person sitting on the top.)

We really enjoyed visiting this park and can’t wait to explore more next month when we return for THE WEDDING. 😁

But, first, we get to celebrate our son JP’s birthday. This man truly is one of the coolest humans I know. Last year was a challenging time for most of us, but very few can say they got engaged to an amazing woman, finished remodeling a house, was part of a tragic search for a missing family, took over his father’s construction company when his dad retired, and still managed to keep a drum group going. 😉 We love you, sweet boy!

Happy Spring, my friends!

Deb

Twin update: they’re both almost 2lbs!!!

Coming Thursday – 4/7: Preorder links, Wedding AND travel plans!