Valerie Parker and Kim Smith weren't exactly friends. Not that Kim had anything against Valerie for that matter, but Valerie was certainly not eager to begin a closeness with Kim after everything Kim had done to her best friend Char. Cheating on Char by screwing her husband? Despicable, Valerie had thought. But seeing as Valerie had moved past it (she was always so positive and mature about everything!) and the fact that there was no one else at Blue Ribbon to team up with for the Pas de Deux competition at the upcoming Dressage Championships in San Diego, Valerie decided to brush her personal feelings aside and spend time with Kim - strictly for enhancing her riding career, with a side-benefit of taking her mind off Duke, the low-life jerk of an ex-boyfriend who had recently broken her heart. It would take her mind off things, at least.
Kim had been reluctant to show her face at Blue Ribbon for quite some time after the entire debacle with Char's ex-husband, Jim. But at the urging of the dressage trainer, Petra, felt that perhaps it wouldn't hurt to begin riding again, as long as she kept a polite distance from Char. Kim had decided to swear off men for a while, and practicing on her horse Di Maggio was just the thing to get her mind off her troubles - not to mention her slight "transgressions"- while she focused on better days ahead. Preparing for the upcoming dressage competition would be just the thing to positively re-focus her energy.
Unsurprisingly, with so much in common between the horses and the recent break-ups with their boyfriends, Valerie found herself seeing Kim more as a friend who'd made a mistake than the adultress that she'd previously taken her for. I suppose that's why getting to know someone is so important, she surmised. It wasn't a surprise for Kim either, as she had vaguely known Valerie through Char and had seen her around the barn before the big "scandal," had occurred, and always thought she had seemed nice. What did come as a shock was when Kim began to realize that she could actually have feelings beyond friendship for her new Pas de Deux partner.
Which only caused more confusion when Duke unexpectedly showed up again, disrupting the budding friendship- and preparations- for the all-important show.
The resentment was beginning to build, and Kim wasn't sure she could handle it. Would Kim be able to get herself together and figure out her feelings before the big event? Or would she return to past habits and handle her feelings in a way that only caused more grief for everyone involved?
Find out in book 4 of the Never Say Forever series: Better After and Forever.