Unbreak My Heart (Rough Riders Legacy #1)

“I am food deprived. You can’t have an open bar at noon and then skimp on appetizers.”


She adopted a patronizing expression. “I wasn’t aware an open bar was an open invitation to get drunk. No one else seems to have taken advantage of free booze or taken issue with the food.”

“I’m sure none of your friends noticed as they were too busy gossiping.”

“You certainly presented something for them to focus on with that embarrassing and tacky gift you passed off to me.”

My cheeks heated, more from anger than embarrassment.

“I specifically told you what to buy me and as usual you ignored me.”

“Newsflash; it’s called a gift for a reason. You don’t get to dictate what gift I buy you.”

“If you had, you wouldn’t have disgraced yourself and shamed me.”

“Shamed you,” I repeated. “No. That’s what you’re doing to me right now. Barely acknowledging my existence. Putting me at a table with a bunch of pearl-clutching do-gooders whose only purpose are their pet charities? Yeah, no wonder I was drinking. But I suppose it was too much to hope that I might’ve had a seat at your table, for your ‘big special day.’ After all, I’m only your daughter.”

Her lips curled into a sneer. “Grow up, Sierra. You’ve always been such a brat if you’re not the center of attention.”

Same old shit, different day. I didn’t know why I bothered with her.

“Not to mention your complete and utter disrespect for me when you had your cell phone out and were texting during the entire event. How does that make me look? Like I raised a rude child with zero manners.”

If I pointed out Dad raised me, then she could pass the blame onto him, so I said nothing.

“Now I have to worry that you’ll employ that same ‘humiliate my mother’ tactic at my wedding.”

“Wrong. It won’t be an issue because I’m not coming to your wedding.”

She rolled her eyes. “Again with the bratty, threatening behavior.”

“So with that…I’m done.” I turned away.

Boone was striding toward me. With each step he got closer, that hollow space inside me shrunk.

Then his strong arms were around me. He kissed me squarely on the mouth—not a sweet lover’s peck but a quick reminder of his possession and his passion for me. He peered into my eyes and whatever he saw there had him concerned. “What happened?”

“Nothing I wasn’t expecting. Can we—”

“Who, exactly, are you?” my mother demanded.

Boone held his hand in front of my mom’s face, but he never looked away from me when he said to her, “Hush. I was talking to her.”

“Can we just go? I parked—”

“You don’t get to hush me—”

“Don’t interrupt Sierra again,” he warned in a low, menacing tone.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her jaw drop. No one ever spoke to her that way.

But my man did. “How did you get here so fast?”

“Raj drove me. We left right after your dad called. He wanted to make sure I knew—”

“Gavin called you?” my mom interrupted.

Boone stood straight. Shoulders back, his big body facing the threat. Every inch of him a soldier. He flicked a dismissive glance at her. “Don’t interrupt me again. I don’t give a damn who you are. You’re just being rude.”

“Now you know where Sierra gets it,” she shot back.

Oh no she didn’t.

And Mom just kept poking his buttons. “How do you know Gavin?”

“I’ve known him for years. But you don’t have a clue who I am, do you? So what does that say about you?” He glared at her. “Oh, so now you’re not going to interrupt me when I ask you a direct question?”

I choked back a laugh.

“It says that what’s going on in your daughter’s life doesn’t matter to you. Guess what? It matters to Gavin. And it matters to me. So I won’t bother introducing myself.”

He threaded his fingers through mine and led me away.





“You’re my hero, Boone. Seriously.”

Gavin Daniels was my hero for putting up with Sierra’s bitch of a mother and managing to raise such a beautiful, caring, smart, kind daughter.

Christ, that woman was a nasty piece of work.

“The only thing that would’ve made it better? If you’d marched in wearing your army uniform.”

Sierra actually swooned against me.

Or maybe the whiskey had kicked in.

“But then she would’ve known your name, right? Because you’re labeled with it on the front.”

“Yes, there’s a name patch on the right side of my uniform. My rank is on the left side and both sleeves.” I stopped for a moment and scanned the area. It seemed every other car in this parking lot was a Mercedes. I pressed the horn alarm on her key fob to save time.

She’d parked in the back row as far from the building as possible.

That was telling.