Cowboy’s Vow Audiobook

Tessa’s Escape

The dust from Atlanta hasn’t settled on my boots, and already I’m holed up in the back room of my new sewing shop, the hum of my machine a lifeline against the ache clawing my chest. Pine Hollow’s supposed to be my fresh start—a quiet town where no one knows my name, where the bruises my ex left can fade into shadows. But the air’s thick with hay and storm clouds, pressing on me like a fresh wound, and every creak of this shack behind Mae Lin’s Diner makes my heart lurch, like he’s already found me.

This shop is my sanctuary, though it’s barely more than four walls and a slanted roof. Folks think being a seamstress is just stitching curtains for Lena’s community garden or patching Roy’s jeans, but they don’t see the hours I pour in, the way every snip and seam stitches me back together. It’s not just thread—it’s survival, a way to keep my hands busy so my mind doesn’t wander to him, to the man who thought love meant a closed fist. On the table beside me, there’s a letter, edges creased from too many reads. Mae Lin’s sharp handwriting cuts through my fog, offering me this place, this chance. She’s the only one who knows why I ran, and I trace her words, my throat tightening. I don’t need to read it again to feel her faith in me, but I’m not sure I deserve it.

Mae Lin’s a dreamer, always talking about second chances and roots that grow deep. She thinks Pine Hollow’s got a place for me, that I can build something real here—a life, a home. But there’s a catch she didn’t write down, one I feel in my bones: to stay, I’ve got to face this town, its people, its storms. And maybe someone like Caleb, who’s been eyeing me like I’m a wildfire since I stepped off that bus three weeks ago. I don’t want to think about him, about the way his gaze burned through me at the diner yesterday, his voice all gravel and possession when he said my name. But my body’s got other ideas—my thighs clench just remembering his scent, leather and cedar, and the carved wooden charm swaying at his belt, catching the light like a dare. I’m already wet, my core pulsing, and I hate how much I crave the safety of his strength, even if I don’t trust it.

A knock at the door jolts me, sharp and sudden, and my needle slips, pricking my finger. I curse under my breath, sucking the bead of blood, and call out, “Who’s there?” Mae Lin steps in, her copper braids catching the dim light, Roy limping behind her. They’re family—not by blood, but by choice—and they’ve had my back since I showed up with nothing but a duffel and a busted heart. Mae Lin’s got a plate of biscuits in one hand, her arms crossed, her gaze narrowing like she sees right through me.

“You’re hiding,” she says, leaning against the doorframe, her tone sharp but warm, like she knows I haven’t eaten since dawn. She sets the biscuits down, the smell of butter and flour tugging at my empty stomach, but I point to the fabric spread on my table—half-cut for Lena’s garden project—like I’m too busy to eat. Truth is, I’m stalling. Running a shop means facing folks, and I’m not ready for Pine Hollow’s prying eyes, for the whispers that might follow me like they did in Atlanta.

“Got orders to fill,” I mutter, my voice rough, but Roy settles into a chair, his bad leg stretched out, his silence unnerving. He’s been quieter since the accident that took his stride, but his eyes are sharp, watching me like he sees every crack I’m trying to hide. It’s unsettling, that quiet, like he’s waiting for me to shatter.

“Something you need?” I ask, sharper than I mean, my nerves frayed. Mae Lin’s used to my edges, but Roy’s silence has me on edge, and I’m not used to being looked after, not anymore. My fingers fidget with a spool of thread, and I think of Caleb again, damn him—his broad shoulders filling the diner booth, his eyes dark, stormy, like he knew every secret I’m carrying. I imagine his rough hands on my waist, his beard scraping my neck, and hell, my body’s betraying me again, heat pooling low, making me ache in ways I haven’t in years.

Mae Lin’s lips twitch, like she’s reading my mind, and she steps closer, her hand on my shoulder, firm but warm. “You can’t keep dodging the town, Tessa. Folks are starting to talk, wondering why the new girl’s always locked away.” Her words hit hard, and my chest tightens, memories of Atlanta’s whispers—poor girl, always running from something—chasing me like shadows. I came here to escape that, to escape him, but now I’m the mystery again, and I’m not sure I can handle it.

“I ain’t here to be nobody’s gossip,” I say, my voice low, a warning to myself as much as her. Roy clears his throat, his drawl soft but steady, cutting through my defenses. “You planning to stay, or you just passing through?” It’s a question only someone who’s been uprooted would ask, and it hits me like a punch, my breath catching. I’ve been running so long, I don’t know how to stand still. Mae Lin and Roy gave me this shop, this chance, but Pine Hollow’s not mine—not yet. I’m not sure it ever will be.

“I’m here, ain’t I?” I say, but it’s weak, and we all know it. My fingers tighten on the spool, and I think of Caleb again—his voice, low and rough, calling my name like a claim, his presence too big, too intense. They call him “too damn fierce,” a cowboy who’d rather draw blood than let anyone near what’s his, and I felt it, that possessiveness, like he’d already decided I belong to him. My core throbs, and I hate how much I want it, want him, even if I don’t trust it. I fled one man who thought he owned me—I can’t fall for another, no matter how safe his arms might feel.

“Caleb was asking about you,” Mae Lin says, casual, but her eyes are sharp, watching me flinch. “Says you’re trouble. Says he don’t trust a woman who hides.” My stomach flips, and I curse under my breath, my voice shaking as I snap, “He don’t know shit about me.” But my body’s betraying me again, my nipples tightening under my dress, imagining him closer, his hands on me, his growl in my ear. He’s trouble, too—grumpy, too damn big, with a past as scarred as mine, and I can’t stop picturing him pinning me against this table, claiming me until I forget my own name.

“He’s got a point,” Roy says, his voice soft but cutting, and I glare at him, fear masking as anger. “You want to stay, Tessa, you gotta show up. For the shop, for the town. For yourself.” His words sting, and I blink back tears, my fingers digging into the fabric. Showing up means opening myself to this place, to people like Caleb, who look at me like they see every scar I’m hiding. “And if I don’t?” I snap, my voice cracking, but Mae Lin’s hand tightens, her voice firm.

“Then you’re just running again,” she says, and I feel the weight of her words, the truth I’ve been dodging. I think of her letter, her faith in me, this shop that’s supposed to be my future. But Atlanta’s shadow looms—my ex, his fists, the life I left—and I thought I’d buried it, but it’s still there, waiting to drag me back.

The door creaks open, and I freeze, my breath catching. Caleb steps in, his Silver Ridge cap low, his shoulders filling the frame, his boots muddy, that carved wooden charm swaying at his hip, catching the light. His eyes lock on mine, dark, stormy, like he’s already claiming me without a word. “Tessa,” he says, his voice a low growl, and my body ignites, heat pooling low, making me ache in ways I can’t fight. “We need to talk about that shop of yours. Seems someone’s asking questions about who you really are.”

My heart stops, Mae Lin’s hand tightens, Roy’s gaze sharpens, but all I see is Caleb, his jaw tight, his hand curling like he’s ready to fight. I don’t know if he’s here to save me or ruin me, but the way he’s looking at me, like I’m already his, makes me think my past just walked into Pine Hollow, and it’s got my name on it. I should run, should fight, but my body’s screaming to let him in, to let him claim me, and as his eyes burn into mine, I know I’m caught—between his vow and a past that won’t let me go.

Here’s how to download your E-Book or Audiobook…

1.) Go to the BookFunnel dashboard
2.) Click or tap the cover of the book
3.) Click or tap Download Book & follow the prompts!

Those same instructions work for audiobooks, too. Click "Listen in Browser" or "Download MP3s".

If you still don’t see your books, try this: copy the email address associated with your purchase and your order number. Then email my awesome support team at help@bookfunnel.com. They'll get it sorted out!

For delivery issues: copy the email address associated with your purchase and your order number. Then email my awesome support team athelp@bookfunnel.com. They'll get it sorted out!