The Zeppelin Bend

The Zeppelin Bend is a 60,000-word romance novel. A zeppelin bend is a knot that can connect two separate ropes. When under stress, the knot gets tighter. Two united families get into a knotted mess.  Life becomes complicated for the main characters, Brett Matthews and Gabby King as the strength of their love is challenged. Saddled with an unexpected pregnancy to a man she no longer loves, Gabby seeks the support of her step-brother, Stan, who develops strong feelings for her and offers to be the father to her unborn baby.
When everything seems to be going wrong, Brett makes some life changes. He quits his job teaching tennis and follows his true passion, working as a cowboy on the ranch owned by Gabby’s father, Wayne King. He also starts training to compete in the rodeo. With King’s fatherly advice, Brett becomes a self-confident man and fights for the woman he loves.
Meanwhile, Gabby creates paintings that speak to her and help her untangle her problems. She contemplates difficult choices from abortion and adoption, to raise the baby as a single mother. Her attempts to forget about Brett are unsuccessful, but she doesn’t know how to tell him that the child she is carrying is not his. Gabby considers her step-brother’s offer of marriage, even though she doesn’t love him.
When Brett realizes that Stan has been deceiving Gabby to keep them apart, Brett makes an appearance at Gabby’s art reception in Virginia. Before the reception, Ella, Gabby’s best friend, accidentally tells Brett he is not the father to Gabby’s unborn child.  Once more, Brett needs to swallow his pride and believe that love can conquer all.
Stan sees the way Gabby looks at Brett, and Stan knows that he has been unsuccessful in winning her love. When Gabby and Brett share a passionate kiss, Gabby cannot deny their love and is aware that she has underestimated the powerful force of love.
Gabby returns to Texas after Ella’s wedding, and she creates the first painting in ‘The Hitch Series. She surprises Brett with a picnic on the site where she has architectural plans for their house. After Brett accepts her marriage proposal, she gives him the painting as a commitment to their relationship. Against all the odds, love has conquered.