I've spent years being the friend she counts on. Now I want to be the man she can't let go.
Sadie Hollister is the rodeo vet everyone in Mustang Mountain trusts when things get dangerous, and I'm the cowboy she calls when she needs steady hands. We've spent years working side by side through injured stock, late-night barn calls, muddy pastures, and storms bad enough to make smarter people stay home.
Being the man she counts on has always been safer than risking everything by asking for more.
But when forged livestock papers threaten the Fourth of July Rodeo, Sadie's loyalty to the animals puts her at odds with her powerful Hollister family. One injured steer leads to altered certificates, mismatched brands, and old records someone clearly wants buried.
She needs a partner she can trust, and I've always known how to be that man. But as the secrets pile up and the danger closes in, the line between friendship and wanting starts to disappear. One touch turns into a kiss. One kiss turns into a night I'll never forget.
And suddenly, standing beside Sadie doesn't feel like enough. Not when she finally looks at me like I'm hers. I'm done waiting, done holding back, and ready to claim every part of her.
The Cowboys of Mustang Mountain carry regrets, rivalries, and reputations they've never quite outrun. They're the men who fix fence lines by day, fight their demons by night, and swear they don't need anyone. Their pasts are messy. Their scars are real. And their hearts are locked down tight.
Until the right woman walks into their path and shakes the dust off their hardened hearts. Women who aren't afraid to push back, dig deep, and call these cowboys out on every wall they try to hide behind.
On Mustang Mountain, even the roughest cowboy can find a future, but only if he's brave enough to love the woman who won't let him walk away.
