Brightmane and the Distant Light: Book 17 (Painted Path Series)

Zyriah used to win.

Every barrel race. Every rodeo. Every bet anyone ever made against her. With a red-hot streak and a horse that could turn barrels like he had wings, Zyriah wasn’t just a competitor—she was a legend in the making. But somewhere along the way, the wins stopped. And when the glory disappeared, something in her started to unravel.

Now, seventeen and angry, Zyriah can’t seem to get anything right. She screams. She throws things. She breaks tack, breaks trust—and worst of all, she’s even lashed out at her horse. The same animal who once carried her to every victory now flinches at her touch. And deep down, Zyriah knows she’s crossed a line.

That should have been the end of her story.

But then Brightmane came.

An Arabian unlike any other—quiet, brilliant, and fierce in a way that doesn’t show up in ribbons—Brightmane doesn’t scare easy. And she doesn’t run from broken things. Instead, she walks Zyriah into a world far beyond the rodeo grounds, a place where darkness has shape and light must be earned. A place where despair can swallow you whole… or lead you somewhere better.

In this land where emotion takes form and shadows follow lies, Zyriah must face every piece of herself she’s tried to outrun. Her rage. Her regret. Her aching need to matter. And above all, the question she’s never dared ask: what if hope isn’t gone—but just waiting for her to reach toward it?

Brightmane and the Distant Light is a journey through the fire and back, a story of redemption forged in the dust and heart of the wild. It’s for every young woman who’s ever felt like a failure, who’s ever tried to fight her way back but didn’t know where to begin. It’s for the ones who break, but still ride on.

Written with raw truth and western soul, this is Book 17 in the Painted Path series—each story a standalone tale of a troubled youth, a remarkable horse, and one core virtue that changes everything. In this book, that virtue is Hope.

Not the easy kind. Not the soft kind. But the kind you earn in the dark.