Jeannie Watt

She had her reasons for leaving… When former rodeo star Hayes Matthews returns to Tree Fork Ranch to care for his injured uncle, he’s shocked to find Bailey Logan—his first love—working there. He never understood why she vanished years ago, and now he wants answers. He swears he won’t fall for her again, no matter how strong the pull. Bailey’s carving out a future, trading labor for horse boarding space at the neighbor’s ranch—never expecting Hayes to be part of the deal. She ghosted Hayes to chase her dreams, afraid of repeating her mother’s mistakes. Hayes wants the truth. Bailey wants—much to her horror—Hayes.

Never in her wildest dreams did equine specialist Maclyn Kane imagine she’d beg her ex for help five years after he tanked her shot at her dream job. But she’s out of work with two horses and a dog to feed, and can’t pass up any offers—even humiliating and grudging ones. Trev Matthews is desperate to find someone to help him through calving season, so when Maclyn, the woman who wrecked his truck and lied about it at the end of their rodeo careers responds to his job posting, he reluctantly hires her—temporarily. Time supposedly heals all wounds. It also can provide proof he was too quick to judge. But how can the former rodeo star convince the woman who refuses to depend on anyone except herself that temporary can become permanent?

COMING AUGUST 27, 2026 When former rodeo rider Jordan Matthews inherits a ranch from the father he never knew, he plans to sell it fast—until he learns the deal comes with one condition: the property must be empty. Lil McAllen refuses to leave. After losing her father and her home, Lil has rebuilt everything on that land. Walking away isn’t an option. Then the ranch becomes a target. Fences are cut. Equipment is sabotaged. Livestock disappears. Jordan has no choice but to stay and protect what isn’t his—working side by side with the woman who stands in his way. Lil doesn’t take risks. Jordan is nothing but risk. But the longer he stays, the harder it is to ignore the truth—the man who came to take everything might be the one she can’t afford to lose.