A First Look At WILD WHISKEY KISSES
BLURB
When socialite Addison Lark calls off her high-profile engagement and disappears from the tabloids, the last place anyone expects her to land is a sprawling cattle ranch and vineyard in small-town Texas. Hired as the new PR manager, she is determined to prove she’s more than just a headline—and that her expensive heels can handle dirt roads.
Ryder Hart is as closed off as he is rugged. As a single dad, he's poured everything into raising his daughter and rebuilding his family’s legacy while keeping the world at arm’s length. The last thing he needs is a high-maintenance woman with something to prove, rebranding his ranch with hashtags and photo shoots.
But when Addison's past comes knocking showing a different side hidden behind that picture-perfect smile, it isn’t just her walls that come crashing down. Somewhere between dusty sunsets and stolen glances, they might just discover that the love you never saw coming could be the one to finally heal you.
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SNEAK PEEK EXCERPT
I expected a warm howdy, maybe even a curious question or two—Where you from, darlin’? What brings you out this way? Not cold indifference and a grunt that barely passed as language. If this was my welcoming committee, I might as well have rolled into town with a “Not Wanted” poster taped to my windshield.
Still, something about him lingers. Maybe it’s that voice, low and rough like gravel or the way he looked at me like I was just another person passing through. Whatever. I came here to escape people like that—closed-off, hard-edged men who think feelings are a waste of breath and women are best kept at arm’s length unless they can be shown off like trick ponies. I didn’t come here to be impressed by some cowboy with a chiseled jaw and the emotional availability of a fence post.
And yet I keep glancing in the rearview mirror like I half-expect him to still be standing there.
Ridiculous.
I press down on the gas, determined to shake him off the same way I’m trying to shake off everything else I left behind. The drive feels longer now, his voice echoing in my head. I can’t tell if I’m mad, amused, or just thrown off. Who even was that guy?
Just as I’m about to question whether he sent me in the wrong direction on purpose, I spot it—an old, weathered sign nearly lost in the brush.
Hart Creek Ranch.
It doesn’t look like much, but in the fading sunlight, it almost feels like fate. Like the universe is finally tossing me a half-gnawed on bone. I turn into the gravel driveway, dust kicking up behind me, and take in the view.
The ranch house is sprawling and worn, but there’s something beautiful in its bones. Wide porches wrap around the exterior, and though the wood is faded from years of sun, it has character. Charm. It’s rustic and real and nothing like the sterile high-rises I used to know.
I park near the front and step out. The air is thick with heat and silence. No honking horns, no sirens, just the distant buzz of insects and my own thoughts. It’s unsettling and kind of peaceful. Maybe even a little terrifying.
“Well...here goes nothing,” I mutter.
Before I can even lift my hand to knock, the door swings open.
“Addison!”
Rebecca’s face lights up as she steps onto the porch, arms open. I smile an actual smile and let her pull me into a hug.
“I’m so glad you made it!” she says, beaming. “I know the drive’s a bit much, but this place is exactly what you need. And we need you. Come on, let me show you around!”
“It’s beautiful,” I say, even though I’m not totally sure I believe it yet. “Different. But beautiful.”
She gives me a knowing look but doesn’t press. “You’ll get used to it. Let’s get you settled.”
The house smells like old wood, coffee and something warm I can’t name. She leads me to a small office in the back, cozy but practical.
“This’ll be your HQ,” she says. “We’ve struggled getting eyes on this place, and we can’t keep up with the big guys. But with your background? I know you’ll turn it around.”
I nod, taking in the space. There’s a simple desk with a couple chairs in front of it. A large bookshelf takes up the side wall though it doesn’t have many books in it. There are a couple paintings on the wall and one terrifying looking animal skull that I will absolutely be removing as soon as possible. It’s all, what I assume to be, local décor. It’s a far cry from my glass-walled office back in New York, but somehow it feels grounded. Real.
And then the door creaks open behind me.
I turn—and stop breathing.
It’s him.
The guy from the fence. Still broad. Still broody. Still somehow managing to make a doorway look small. His arms are crossed. His stormy eyes pin me like I’ve done something wrong just by existing.
Rebecca sighs dramatically. “It’s about time you showed up.”
He grunts. Doesn’t speak. Just stares.
“Addison,” Rebecca says with a little smirk, “this is my brother, Ryder. He helps me run the place even if he’s a giant pain in the ass most days.”
Ryder.
My brain scrambles. That’s her brother? The same boy from her childhood photos? No way. This man is all edges and rugged handsomeness. And apparently, still not a fan of talking.
He nods once, cold and assessing.
I nod back, unsure what to say. I came here for a new beginning. What I didn’t count on was running headfirst into a walking Texas thunderstorm with a perfect jawline and zero people skills.
And somehow, I already know—this is going to get complicated.