Showing results by author "Bev Pettersen" in All Categories

A frightened boy turns into a runaway murder witness, relying on only his bike and brains to evade the killers. When Ricky Lopez skips school and bikes out to his boss’s remote bungalow, he isn’t worrying about anything except collecting his pay. Cleaning portables isn’t a fun job, and he doesn’t intend to let anyone cheat him out of his hard-earned cash. But his life is upended when he witnesses a shocking murder and discovers the portables are used for trafficking illegal drugs. Worse, the killers know his name, and what he’s seen. Now he’s on the run and hiding in the San ...

Jessica barely knows one end of a horse from the other. She's the last woman her sexy new boss needs...but will she turn into the only one he really wants? Reader Views Literary Awards Finalist Best Romance Mark Russell never expected his rookie groom to have the spunk or savvy to last at his demanding race barn. Or that his reluctant respect would turn to a growing desire. But as the forbidden attraction between them sizzles, manipulation and murder threaten not only his horses but also their lives. And suddenly a championship race is the very least of his worries.

She thinks he's an unfeeling rodeo star. He thinks she's a hothouse flower. They're both wrong. Rodeo champ Carter Bass vows to steer clear of women, especially Barbie cowgirls with their bright lipstick and artificial smiles. The Mustang River Ranch’s wilderness chase offers the perfect opportunity to escape his fans and match wits with quarry that is tough, smart and athletic. Allie McIvor found a place to call home when she fled the city for a job at the luxury ranch. She barely knows the front of a horse from the back, but she can dress enough like a cowgirl to keep the guests happy. ...

Feisty Jenna Murphy doesn't give a whiff about an animal's pedigree. As the local horse masseuse, she knows she has the magic touch and is keen to help every animal in her small town, including her beloved pony, Peanut. Any extra money earned from her job at the Equine Center is earmarked for her younger sister. At least someone in their family is going to receive a college education. High-powered businessman Derek Burke's main goal is to fix his new company's financial woes. And the first thing on his agenda is to force employees to only look after thoroughbreds.

Some lies are worth millions. Some truths are worth murder. When Nikki Drake and her K9 Gunner are hired to protect a rebellious racehorse, she expects routine surveillance and security work. Instead, she discovers a Derby contender whose biggest threat isn't his temperament but the powerful people determined to stop him from racing—by any means necessary. As threats escalate from intimidation to sabotage, Nikki uncovers a tangled web of secrets that extends far beyond stable politics. When a murder at the training center shatters any illusion of safety, she and Gunner find themselves ...

Belated justice can be the most satisfying. For almost ten years, Nikki Drake struggled to deal with her sister’s mysterious disappearance. When another teen vanishes from the same riding stable, the details are too eerily similar to ignore, and she vows to uncover the truth. No longer a child but a newly minted private investigator, she has additional weapons in her arsenal now, including a re-homed police dog and an enigmatic detective with ties to the horse stable. However, digging into her sister’s case erodes old trusts and brings dark secrets bubbling to the surface. And this time...

Emily Murphy isn't afraid to swap her fancy wardrobe for a borrowed pair of barn boots. Working on the set of a Kentucky movie might be just the ticket to landing a real acting job and proving to her sister she can accomplish something worthwhile. Dan Barrett knows a lot about hard work and even more about horses. And while he's drawn by Emily's beauty and pluck, he wants a stay-at-home ranch girl. But fighting their attraction is difficult, and soon they both realize what they thought they wanted isn't what they really need.

The first rule of an undercover cop: Never fall in love with the suspect! By a USA Today Bestselling author and three-times National Readers Choice Nominee Hardened cop Kurt has no intention of returning to undercover work. But when his former partner is murdered, he rushes to the backwater racetrack where his friend was last seen alive. He intends to make someone pay, even if the killer turns out to be a talented rider with a smoking hot body and a disarming smile. Julie West is a rookie jockey, fighting to climb the rider ranks. She jumps at the chance to work for a new trainer, never ...

Some horse stables are remote for a reason… Private investigator Nikki Drake thought she was following her vet’s orders by taking her K9 partner to an isolated log cabin deep in the wilds of California. But Gunner doesn’t understand he’s in rehab and his remarkable nose leads to a gruesome discovery. When both the local police and a powerful stable owner brush off her find, she does some digging of her own. Soon she is on the run, with both a terrified groom and a pricey racehorse in tow. The more she learns about the sinister owner, the faster she realizes there is more at stake ...

Cassie Edwards fled her family's small horse farm when the man she loved married another woman. But now her ailing grandfather needs her help and she's not going to stay away another minute. It doesn't matter that the all-powerful Sutherland family controls the local polo industry where she once worked, or that they can make life very difficult for an old girlfriend. Besides, after all this time, Alex Sutherland is just a friend. Maybe.

“Bev Pettersen packs a lot of tension into this fast-paced story. Awesome! Five stars!" T.R. Ragan, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Sometimes the isolated countryside isn't as peaceful as it first appears... Local police aren’t very concerned when fourteen-year-old Billy Tanner doesn’t show up for his community service at their stable. Tossing a firebomb at a police horse isn’t something they can easily forgive. Yet when the boy’s frantic grandmother begs PI Nikki Drake to hunt for her missing grandson, it’s a call for help Nikki can’t ignore. Her search takes ...

"A thrilling romantic western suspense, full of action, drama and of course, love!" Reader Views A remote mountain. A secret conspiracy. A race to save a terrified teen! 2018 Winner Write Touch Readers' Award Contest, Best Romantic Suspense Kate Miller has worked hard to carve out a secure job at the Mustang River Ranch. The horrors she faced leading a failed rescue attempt have been firmly buried and she's content guiding sedate trail rides. There's no room in her life for anything that could threaten her newly found peace. Former SEAL Jack Becker is hot enough to melt any woman's cool ...

The last thing Eve Lewis needs is a badass bodyguard tattling on all her training problems. However, when the racetrack turns deadly he seems the perfect man--for everything. But emotionally wounded as he is, can he ever be anything more than a paid protector? Winner Reader Views Award Best Romance Private investigator Rick Talbot shuns polite society, preferring to keep horrific memories at bay by hunting the most hardened of criminals. Tracking down stolen tack at a California racetrack is a mind-numbing assignment that's way beneath his pay grade. Besides, he isn't burned out and he ...

She'd rather die than be the center of attention...that may happen. Becky Rivers yearns for a loving family and carves out a home as companion-nurse to an aging Texas matriarch with more opinions than horses. Bruised by years of neglectful foster care, Becky avoids the limelight but is forced to team up with a charismatic horse trainer in order to salvage her employer's venerable race stable. Soon she is caught between a murderer and a ruthless saboteur...and her only ally is a man she isn't sure she can trust.

A woman's frantic search for her missing brother lures her to an isolated California jockey school where she is sucked into a whirlpool of desire, danger and deception. Winner, Reader Views Reviewers Choice Award HOLT Medallion Award of Merit Heart of Excellence Readers Choice Award National Readers Choice Award Finalist Rugged Scott Taylor can't stay away from the stunning Megan. But their sizzling attraction could compromise the search for her missing brother and put her in terrible danger. And misplaced trust can be deadly...

"A cowboy romantic mystery that manages to make having your husband stuck in prison for two a a half years both romantic and mysterious!" Winner Heart of Excellence Readers' Choice Winner Reader Views Best Romance Winner Aspen Gold Readers Choice It's been two rough years since Dani Tattrie has seen her husband. She didn't plan on running their California ranch by herself, but she's scraped by. Now though, a string of bad luck has left her reeling and ready to sell. Training horses is still her dream job but she's never recovered from her husband's bewildering incarceration. And she doesn't...

"...A delightful book about kindness, family, Christmas miracles--and ponies." - Kirkus Reviews Winner, LYRA Award, Best Novella, Bookstores Without Borders Winner, Reader Views Award Winner, Best Novella, Hearts Through History RWA Finalist, National Excellence in Romance Fiction Novella Six-year-old Suzy Jenkins desperately wants a pony for Christmas. And she's certain Santa will deliver. After all, she's been on her best behavior for months--not tattling on the bullies and even sharing her only candy cane. Besides, this year she has everything ready, including a cracked water bucket and ...