Jordan: Running out of gas on the deserted highway of eastern Oregon is bad enough, discovering that the only gas station for miles around is as out of gas as my motorcycle is worse. Looks like I’m camping here for the duration.At least the guy who owns the station is smokin’ hot, maybe a bone dry tank isn’t all that bad after all.Stryker:There’s not another gas station for 70 miles in any … another gas station for 70 miles in any direction and since you can’t pump your own gas in this state, it’s not unheard of to find some kid camped by his dirt bike next to my pumps when I open up in the morning. Too bad I gotta go out there and tell him the station is as dry as his bike’s tank.
I ain’t gonna lie– finding out the kid by my pumps this morning is a stunning girl goes a long way to making up for the business I’m losing out on.
It’s just a short term thing. Jordan lives a thousand miles away and neither of us are looking for anything serious anyway.
When the tanker truck shows up and Jordan rides out of my life forever, I start realizing just how isolated this place is. Just how cold the nights get and just how long I’ve been living out here with no one but the dog to keep me company, thinking that’s the way I liked it.
I have to go after her, get back the girl that made this place feel like a home and convince her to become the wife I never thought I wanted.
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She is on a bike that is just all but out of gas, in the middle on nowhere, nothing around at all. She thinks she sees a bit of light coming up but Jordan is not sure at this point. She is a girl who has been doing things on her own and wants no help, this is the reason she is where she is right now too.
He is just heading back from getting some beer, when pulls into the drive area he is in his own world. Literally speaking and figuratively speaking. Stryker doesn’t see there is something in the front area until after a beer or two. Oh well. He lets his little black tornado of a dog, Ninja, out and that is when he spots it. It is nothing new to him and he figures he will wait until morning to take care of it.
In the morning, Ninja gets let out and the situation of Stryker has to deal with is still at hand. The problem is, the situation is not what it usually is. He runs/owns this place, out in the middle of nowhere, and it gets rather lonely. The situation turns out to not be at all what Stryker imagines….it is worse and/or better. Meaning he is surprised by what is running through his mind when SHE isn’t what he thought this would be. Ninja makes friends super fast and easy with Jordan…no surprise there. But Jordan and Stryker….well let’s just say there is plenty of room for both to soften and change. Both are sarcastic, both are set in their thinking and ways. Neither of them want something other than a little fun, or are they just trying to convince themselves of this.
Jordan has a hard luck story…this is the reason for her trip, a final hoorah if it be called something. She is without parents, she has been left by the ex, who couldn’t even do that in person – nope left a note, and now she is being faced with losing her job because of downsizing. Now she is imagining all sorts of dirty, delicious things with the hot and handsome man. Problem is he turns snarky on her just when she thinks things could move forward a bit. Stryker has his own reasons for his attitude. His mom died and his dad fell apart leaving Stryker to fend for himself basically. Then he is asked to help his aunt out with this place when she got too sick to do it anymore for herself. He steps up to the plate and helps, she dies leaving it to him. He saw what his mom’s death did to his dad, that is not going to happen to him, no way. He is not the relationship kind of guy because of that. These two have no clue that the thoughts of being independent and not in it for the long haul is not going to happen to them.
Things change one cold night, Ninja that adorable little black ball of thunder and lightning rolled into one plays matchmaker. She does it quite well too. At this point we have bringing Jordan in from the cold, a hot shower, a fresh change of clothes, a hot man cooking a home cooked meal, some beers, some talking, some foot rubbing and BOOM! They heat up from here. The only problem comes in when their circumstances change. He has what she needs, and this is not speaking physically right now. She leaves her address and returns home.
A recognition of doing just what he said he wouldn’t do leads Stryker and Ninja on a little trip. Good thing too because Jordan is at a melt down point. When she is surprised by these two, the passion and spark are even more alive and burning hotter than ever. All because of that little last hoorah that ends up being helped along by a little black ball of love. Their happy ending is even better than expected too, as explained in the epilogue. TOOOOO good to put down.
Loved it
Loved Jordan, Stryker, and his match making dog Ninja.
Jordan is burning up the vacation time she thought she would be spending on a honeymoon, on the back of a small bike, that she never wanted that her ex said she needed., Exploring the roads less traveled. She runs out of gas in no where Oregon.
Stryker runs a convenience store and gas station in the middle of no where Oregon. His only company is his girl Ninja, a small ball of black fluff he found abandoned at his back door.
Jordan and Stryker have a few day fling while waiting for the tanker to refill the pumps at his station. Two lonely people not looking for love. When the tanker arrives and Jordan leaves, Stryker rethinks his stance on forever. His moping ball of fluff is missing the women he wants for keeps. He and Ninja set off to convince Jordan that she had a job, home, and family in the middle of no where Oregon.
Loved the epilogue, tied up Jordan and Stryker’s story nicely.
I voluntary reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. I bought a copy in support of the author. I love Rocklyn’s books and do reread them.
Arc review For honest review. Jordan on the road when she runs out of gas and makes it to a gas station but it was closed . Stryker owns that gas station. Jordan is learning more about herself and Stryker needs a women these two are a pain I loved the interaction they do and how the dog knows more them both .awesome and cute.
This is another fantastic, fast read from Rocklyn. This story of Stryker and Jordan is great! I loved the independence of Jordan, as a fellow motorcycle rider, I could relate to her. I also like the alternate POV’s of each character. I have been lucky to be able to be a part of this author’s ARC team, I have never been disappointed in her work! Another great book! Well Done!
a reader and an Oregonian I LOVED this story, and boy did she depict eastern Oregon perfectly! Bone is part of the wild romance collection by this author, and is a standalone story.
It is the story of Jordan and Stryker. Jordan is a cool a** women who is traveling though out the western states trying to eat away at her vacation time from work as they have let her go and she needs to use it or lose it. She is traveling though eastern Oregon when she runs out of gas. Here in Oregon, you cannot pump your own, so we do not have standalone gas stations (for afterhours use). Jordan makes her way to a lone gas station, only to find that it is closed for the night. She decides to camp out front until it re-opens in the morning. This is where she meets, Ninja and Stryker.
Striker is a gruff man, who has been alone for too long. He lives in a desolated part of the state, with only Ninja (a black as night puff ball of a dog) to keep him company. He wants a warm body for a night or two, but no long term commitments. This all changes with Jordan “bringing him back to life.”
The relationship that develops between these too is fast, but also great to read. You can feel the passion between them and their fit. I LOVED Ninja, she almost stole the story for me and it was great fun to read about her personality. This is another sweet story from this author and I would recommend it to any reader who wants a sweet story with a strong woman and a gruff man.