Bridled Heart by Paty Jager

Years afterward, Gina has shut herself off from her childhood pain and keeps anyone from getting close now. She feels this will keep her Bridled Heart safe, even from the likes of Holt, no matter how much the rodeo rider appeals to her.

A specialized placement schedule and self-imposed vow of celibacy keeps ER nurse, Gina Montgomery, from getting too close to anyone. Music is her only solace and release from a past laced with abuse. But when that music draws the attention of a handsome rodeo bareback rider, her chosen solitary life—not to mention her vow—gets tested to the limits.
Holt Reynolds let his younger sister down when she needed him most. With the similarities to his sister far too evident in Gina, he can’t get the woman out of his head, or her poignant music out of his heart. But how can he find a way to free her bridled heart before the past resurfaces to destroy their one chance at happiness?

Gina Montgomery was young when her mother became very ill. Living in a small town, her father didn’t want anyone talking about him, so he turned to his own daughter for his sexual needs. She was only eight when this started. Even though only “touching” was involved and it lasted only a couple years, this left a lasting impression on Gina. After her mother died a couple years later, her father stopped the sexual abuse, but continued to treat her badly (mental abuse?) and was very controlling up to and including keeping her out of Julliard and picking which college she would go to for nursing school. The sexual abuse led Gina to believe she was to let men use her body, and as a teenage she did; she was very promiscuous with the guys in high school until her piano instructor taught her better her senior year. This leads to her vow of celibacy, that she will never let another man take her again. And while she may have been forced to become a nurse, she found her nerve and strength while away at college. She learns about a program where she can be a ‘traveling’ nurse, earning extra money and out/away from her father’s influence. She is saving all her money to start a camp where music is used to help other sexually abused children, as it was the only calm and comfort she had as a child after her mother’s death.

Holt Reynolds is a somewhat famous bareback rodeo rider. He has been riding the circuit for years and hopes to win the National Champions this year. He is at a charity auction for abused children where he has donated some art work when he hears Gina playing the piano. In her he sees the signs he didn’t recognize in his sister before she died. He still lives with her suicide on his conscious, blaming himself for not saving her from his stepfather’s abuse, no matter that he was just starting the rodeos at the time. Gina refuses Holt’s advances even as both are drawn to each other. Several weeks later they happen to be at the same rodeo and Holt is injured when he is distracted by the sight of Gina. Feeling guilty for this, she stays and helps care for him thru the night. This starts the long-distance friend relationship for them, with Holt hoping to thaw Gina’s heart.

The real problems start when Holt gets Gina to spend her two week break at his ranch. A woman from Holt’s past, Trish, is still trying to get him back. And Holt is helping a local pregnant teenager, Penny. Penny’s parents kicked her out of the house when she refused to get an abortion. Her father is found to be on the crew working to repair the barn. So when a threatening note is found in the house, they are not sure if it is from Trish or Penny’s father. Holt and Gina’s relationship goes from friends to lovers over her stay at the ranch. But she has a contract with another hospital and Holt has Nationals after her contract. Gina plans to stay with Penny when Holt leaves for Nationals, but after more threats are made, Holt and his friends decide to take Gina and Penny with them to Nationals for protection. But with someone so determined and the guys busy with the rodeo, who knows if the girls will be safe? The last thing Hilt wants is to let down another person like he did his sister.

Bridled Heart needs a warning: this talks about sexual abuse, not graphically but it is here and how someone with it in their past is dealing with it. Everyone deals with these things differently, but reading about it can upset some, so know it is included in this book. However, it is dealt with very well and the characters face it and support the victims beautifully! I can only wish everyone so mistreated had this kind of support and understanding when needed. The only issue I do have is that the person effected never gets any treatment, and I personally believe this is needed somewhere along the way.

Bridled Heart is the moving tale of how the right person can help us find ourselves. There are several sensitive issues addressed in Bridled Heart (sexual abuse, teen pregnancy, abortion, controlling parents, etc.) and I think they are handled very well. Many of us have to deal with this in life, if not directly then with family or friends. Knowing that the mind does not always look at things logically, but with a slanted, distorted view can help when trying to understand why someone has trouble even years later. That Holt recognizes this and is so patient and understanding with Gina is wonderful is watch unfold. I loved that they truly become friends before ever getting physical, even though both are attracted to the other. And how caring the characters are of others is beautiful to see. Yes, I am waxing a little here, but it is a nice feeling when dealing with upsetting issues. And no, not everyone is nice or understanding in Bridled Heart, so don’t think this is an unrealistic sappy story. It is just a nice, happy ending to a horrible beginning for some of the characters. They do have to earn it (as most of us do at some point). Gina becomes a strong woman and Holt makes a great hero. Can’t help but smile over him.