Occupation: horse wrangler

It isn’t easy knowing another man rescued K.T. I feel like I let her down. The first time she got herself messed up, I did the rescuing. And we’ve been together ever since. In between then and now? Well, she still hits the bars on the anniversary of her husband’s suicide but she’s kept it together until this year. She’ll tell me why this year was different when she’s ready.

I don’t ask K.T. many questions. That’s not my place. My place is to be there for her and the horses. I saddle and unsaddle and make sure that tack is as safe as humanly possible. K.T.’s life is as dependent upon her equipment as it is on the horse beneath her.

My real name is a mouthful but, when I took up rodeo, I shortened the whole thing to Jake. I was once an ace bull-rider, flying high, and drawing big checks. Every now and then K.T. asks me what I want from my future. I’ve got no family to mention but I’ve got all I need with K.T. and the horses. Room and board are all I’ll take for my work. The CDs she keeps putting away for me I plan to leave to her children someday. Those and my miniature carvings she likes so much.

My ex-wife is out there somewhere, but she left me when I wouldn’t leave rodeo. It was my fault. I loved the sport more than I did her. But the sport wasn’t all that good to me. I got stomped one too many times by one too many bulls. I left that hospital dead broke, with a permanent limp, and no way to make a living except doing what I could no longer do. The truth is, in rescuing K.T. that night four years ago, I rescued myself as well.

Most folks, like this new fella, call her Kylah but she’s K.T. to me. That’s her professional name, K.T. West. Her mama was a looker, a real Hollywood glamour girl, once upon a time. But Madeline Breck aged gracefully into new roles and kept her career going through the years when most starlets fade out. Ms. Breck doesn’t understand her daughter but she loves her. K.T.’s got her mama’s beauty but her daddy’s athletic grit. Kent West is a rodeo professional turned Hollywood stunt man. K.T. combined all that with her love of horses into a career training and riding stunt horses in movies and other venues.

To be honest, I’m starting to feel more than a little grateful to this new fella no matter what he cares to call her. Trouble is an odd name for a guy who goes around rescuing beautiful women. But since he’s a cat – and a black one at that – I guess it’s not too bad a moniker. Of course, he’s got a little help by way of Deputy Marshal Waya ‘Wolf’ Stockton who appears to have taken a shine to K.T. Seems he just happened to be on hand the night she was taken under the wing of this feline detective named Trouble and he’s showing no inclination to make himself scarce.

With a woman shot through the heart with a vintage rifle – did I mention that? – I’m not minding the additional eyes on K.T.’s safety. No one can do more than I can to make sure the horses and her equipment are safe, but bullets? Well, that’s not my area of expertise.

Vintage rifle, you ask? Yes, sir, Civil War era. Most everyone participating in the First Annual Reenactment of the Battle of Albrecht Creek seems to have one or more at hand. Antique guns and authentic costumes of the blue and the gray. The woman who got herself shot was one of the reenactors. The sheriff wants to think it was a crime of passion but Trouble and Wolf are looking in a different direction. And, ever since K.T. became a target, so am I. We’re just none of us sure which direction to look hardest. Another reenactor? The Cherokee who feel they’ve seen enough encroachment? Some fool who just doesn’t cotton to women?

All I know is, when the danger broadens to include K.T. and the horses she plans to ride in some key performances, it’s time to circle the wagons. And I have a feeling when the wagons head straight again, my K.T. will be side by side with Deputy Marshal Stockton. That’s my hope anyway. And I think it’s Trouble’s as well.

You can read more about Jake in Trouble In Action, the 10th book in the “Cat Detective Familiar Legacy” traditional mystery series, released July 8, 2019.

Kylah West has faith in her horses and her skill to ride them in a reenactment of the Civil War battle of Albrecht Creek. Still suffering from her husband’s suicide, Kylah’s only focus is work. But her concentration is broken when she meets U.S. Marshal Wolf Stockton and the body of a young reenactor is found, shot through the heart with a vintage rifle.

Is it revenge, an accidental shooting, or a hint that opposing forces in the community are boiling over? Those questions turn personal for Wolf and Kylah when her life is endangered. Into the exciting world of stunt riders, tension between the university sponsoring the reenactment and a Cherokee nation tired of being wrongly blamed for everything, strolls Trouble, black cat detective.

Trouble attaches to Kylah when he realizes her vulnerability. He works with Wolf to determine who is behind the murders—and who is attempting to ambush Kylah and her horses as she gives the key performance of the reenactment. As the feline races the clock to keep Kylah safe, he also realizes the two bipeds have another deep need—for each other. He must help solve the mystery while showing his humans the path to true love.

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About the author
Susan Y. Tanner blends her passion for horses with her passion for writing. Trouble in Summer Valley introduced readers to the rescue horses of Summer Valley Ranch where they prove their worth in therapeutic riding. In Turning for Trouble, her own rodeo experience brings that rough and tumble world to life. Her third mystery, Trouble in Action, showcases the risky profession of stunt riding while giving a glimpse into historical reenactments. Published by KaliOka Press, these romantic mysteries are part of the Familiar Legacy series written in concert with some very talented authors.

To learn more about Susan, visit her website at susanytanner.com or visit her on Facebook.