Greetings from Teaser Tuesday, the series where I share fun paragraphs from past and upcoming releases, and works-in-progress, and occasionally invite author buddies on to do the same.

Over the weekend I was thrilled to learn that my sweet novella Summer and the Groomsman was voted best rural romance cover by Romance Writers of Australia members (rah!). Sounds like a good excuse to share a snippet from the book I reckon.

Our heroine Summer agists her beloved horse Binky on a property owned by alcoholic farmer Gavin Chalk. Each time she hands over her agistment money she knows where it’s going to be spent and it upsets her deeply. On this occasion sneaky Binky uses her distraction to escape…

Summer had barely reached the paddock gate when Gav reversed his ute out onto the road. She swung the gate open and turned her back as dismay yanked her insides. Thanks to her, Gav was about to destroy more of his body, not to mention his state of mind. She trudged back to the car, reminding herself that this wasn’t her fault. That Gav wasn’t her responsibility. He wasn’t grandpa.

She slumped heavily in the driver’s seat and put the SUV into gear, only for her dismay to worsen the moment she looked up.

“Binky!”

Taking advantage of her distraction, Binky was sauntering happily through the gate, his one-track mind intent on the lucerne growing so lushly on the other side of the road. Usually he could be relied on to stay by his feed buckets, but tonight his hunger for decent green feed proved too overwhelming.

Putting the car back into neutral, Summer snatched a lead rope off the back seat, alighted and strode after him, calling out. Usually he was easy to catch, but Binky appeared to be in one of his moods, and intent on playing funny buggers. Ignoring her, he tossed his head and broke into a trot.

Just as another car appeared through the dust left in Gav’s wake.

“Binky!”

The driver braked hard. Gravel spewed from behind the vehicle’s locked up wheels but the skid was flinging the car closer and closer to Binky.

©Cathryn Hein

Oooh, drama! Want to know what happens next? Then grab a copy of Summer and the Groomsman today. Purchase the paperback from Booktopia or Bookdepository and the ebook from Amazon, iBooks, Kobo and Nook.