About Sparkle and Shine
by Julia Talbot
62 pages / 20500 words
ISBN: 978-1-60370-191-4, 1-60370-191-5
Available file types - html, lit, pdf, prc
Evan knows about things that sparkle and shine. He was married to a sweetheart of the rodeo once, and he found out fast that glitter didn't make a relationship. Still, he has his daughter Cheyenne and his best friend Brooks, and life is pretty good.
Just as he and Brooks start to realize they might be more than friends, though, Evan's ex shows up, stirring up trouble. He and Brooks have to make some tough decisions about their rodeo careers, about Cheyenne, and about their growing love. Can they beat the odds and find the happiness they want so badly?
Review
Sean Michael, bestselling Torquere Press author, writes: In Sparkle and Shine, Evan’s a cowboy riding the rodeo circuit with his best friend Brooks and his eight year old baby girl, Chay. At the beginning of the story, the two men aren’t together, but they’ve both been looking awfully hard, and one evening where Chay’s off being babysat they give into their attraction and the love that’s behind it.
Rodeo, family and men in love, what more could you ask for from a western? Not a thing and Julia delivers in spades. This is a great story with rugged, real characters. Evan and Brooks are men’s men, and authentic enough I expect to see them at the next rodeo I watch. The addition of Chay adds a sweetness to the story, even as her mother Sandra adds a sharp bite. Throw in a Momma and a Pop and you’ve got a great story that’ll keep you reading to find out what’s going to happen next.
Sample
The last of the bags went into the horse trailer, one stall filled with Boo, the other with junk. Lord Almighty, between him and Boo's shit, and Evan and Chay's, they had a pile. He grinned at Chay, who fussed with her little pink backpack, taking out one stuffed toy to run it back to the house, bringing out a different one.
"You about ready, darlin'?"
"Uh-huh. Daddy's unhooking the kitchen."
"Good. You get your stuff settled and go scratch Boo's nose."
"Yessir!"
Brooks wandered back into the little single wide house, hands in his pockets. "You need any help, Ev?" he asked, poking his head into the little galley kitchen, where Evan was unhooking the ice maker. Wasn't no sense in taking a chance on anything failing while they were gone, and they'd be off to Nana's after the rodeoing.
"Nah. I got it. You could sit a minute, though." He got a glinting grin, Evan's dark green eyes twinkling at him. Thank Heaven, the man seemed in a much better mood than he had been all week.
"Sure." He turned a chair about and straddled it, folding his arms on the back. "Old man Ramirez coming over to check the place and all?"
"Yeah, and I had the mail forwarded to Momma's."
"Cool." Brooks admired the lean cut of Evan's jeans, the way the long legs seemed to go on and on until they attached to that fine, tight ass.
"Brooks!"
"Huh?" Oh, shit, had Evan been talking to him? "What?"
"Hand me the needle-nose pliers, will you?"
"Sure. Sorry." Their fingers touched when Evan took the pliers from him, making his breath catch. Damn. What had gotten into him? He wasn't usually so obvious.
"You okay?" Evan asked, frowning a little as he loosened the last bolt.
"Yeah. Just ready to hit the road, you know?"
"I do! I was kinda dreading it, but, now it's here, I'm happy." Yeah, that smile said happy like nothing had in awhile, and Brooks was glad to see it.
"Well, good deal…" He sat and watched and soon enough, Evan ran out of things to turn off and unplug. "You ready, buddy?"
"I am. Let's go."
Time they got outside, Chay was already curled up in the backseat of the king cab of his truck, sound asleep. Chuckling, the climbed into the truck, and Brooks took the first turn driving. They'd head up Twenty Five and hit Forty across to Vegas.
"You figure on stopping in Holbrook?" Brooks asked. It was maybe twelve hours to Vegas with stops, but with an eight year old, they'd learned it was better to split it up into two days.
"Seems likely enough. I doubt we'll make Flagstaff."
Damned shame. Evan liked Flagstaff, Arizona, and Brooks liked to wander around with Ev and listen to the man tell stories and shit. "Well, if we have time we'll stop there for lunch tomorrow, huh?"
"Oh, that would be cool. Too bad Black Bart's won't be open." Evan loved that silly steakhouse with a passion.
It was damned cute. 'Course the man would knock him slobbering for using the word cute.
"We can hit Buster's. Your girl's got an unnatural love of fish anyway."
Giving him a sideways smile, Evan whapped his leg. "I know. I think she gets it from someone not me."
"You're more of a red meat man." That sounded dirty somehow.
"I am. I admit it." The man probably had no idea, but Evan's fingers lingered on Brooks' thigh, stroking absently, and man, did that give him an extra leg to work around while he was driving. Lord.
"So what are we taking Chay to see this year?" Last year they'd gone to see the lions at the MGM Grand, and the fountains at the Bellagio. Free shit, but it made that little girl's eyes light up.
"I was thinking the light show down at Freemont Street."
Sometimes it stuck him how they sounded like an old married couple. The thought made him grin, and he had to duck his head, watching the road with squinted eyes. The yellow and brown desert flew past, and the sky was so blue it hurt. It was a good day to be alive.
"You doing all right?" Evan asked near two hours later, stretching and yawning.
Which meant he moved his hand off Brooks' thigh, damn it.
"I could stop. Chay's bound to wake up and want food, soon."
"Yeah. I could do with a biscuit or something myself."
"Cool. We're right on Albuquerque. I'll stop once we get through the worst."
Evan nodded, humming along with the radio, low and sweet, and Brooks kept on driving, happy in his bones.
Life surely was good.