When a shy woman inherits a ranch, she’ll have to find an inner strength to succeed—and open herself up to love—in this heartwarming novel from New York Times bestselling author Victoria James.

Sarah Turner has led a very sheltered life. So when her parents pass away tragically, suddenly she’s left in charge of the family ranch with little know-how but plenty of will to keep it afloat. Determined not to lose her parents’ legacy or her newfound independence, she needs a hero fast—not to save her, but to show her how to save herself. But she’s unprepared for the ruggedly handsome cowboy who answers her ad.

“Cowboy for Hire,” the ad said, and Cade Walker is quick to respond. Betrayed as ranch manager by his former boss, he’s looking for a new place to put down roots—without the pressure to prove himself again. Except when he meets his new boss, it’s clear he’s not only there to run a ranch but to also teach Miss Independent how to run it. But as they struggle to make the ranch flourish, they’ll both need courage if they hope to find a family…together.

Excerpt

Her hand clutched his shoulder, and he was shocked because they didn’t usually touch. Or, aslittle as possible, anyway. The feel of her hand on him reminded him of why he shouldn’t put himself in positions where it was just the two of them. It would only fuel the attraction he felt for her, especially with these conversations that told him more and more about her. “Don’t take me home. I don’t want to go back,” she said, her voice whisper-thin, her eyes glued to the road. Cade gripped the steering wheel tightly, and she dropped her hand. Hell. He kept tellinghimself he couldn’t get involved with Sarah, but the more time he spent with her, the more hewanted to know her. “Why don’t you want to go back home?”

“I’ve never been anywhere or done anything in the last fifteen years. I haven’t lived. All thosepeople at that party had real lives. I’m the same age, and I felt like an outsider tonight. I didn’tknow what to say, what to do. I was more comfortable on the sidelines. I… Don’t drive me home. Take me anywhere but there. Please, Cade.”

He clenched his teeth and knew he couldn’t take her home. It couldn’t be him to take her backthere. Things he’d suspected about her, all those pieces were coming together. Her desperationclung to her words like fresh dew on the grass at dawn. “Okay. So where are we going?”

She turned to him and gave him a smile as though she’d just won the lottery. Her green eyessparkled, and damn if her happiness didn’t punch him in the gut. “Anywhere! The city! Billings.Where do people my age go? Where did you go when you were my age?”

His brows snapped together. “Oh, well, back in my day, we rode our horses to the saloon andmade sure we were home before dark, since there was no electricity.”

She burst out laughing, and he found himself smiling despite the fact that she thought he wasfrom a different era. “I didn’t mean it like that. So where should we go?”

“All right, let’s head into the city.”

“Road trip!”

He had no idea who the woman beside him was. Layer by layer, she was coming alive. The night she’d taken out that horse, it was as though something had snapped, shifted, and now she wastrying to become someone new. Or maybe she was just trying to be the person she always wanted to be. “When are you planning on going back?”

“Well, you have the weekend off. It’s only Friday. So how about tomorrow? That way youstill have Sunday to relax and do whatever.”

He ran a hand over his jaw. “I’m not sure that’s going to look great,” he said, trying to choose hiswords carefully.

“Who cares? I don’t. I don’t care what anyone thinks of me anymore. I have spent my entire lifeliving by rules made up by well-meaning but horribly flawed people. They are gone now. I’m the only living person in my family. Do you care what people think of you?”

He cleared his throat. “Not particularly, no. But I wasn’t thinking of me. I was thinking of youand the guys at the ranch.” He was also thinking Edna was going to hang him on her wash line if he stayed away overnight with Sarah.

“No one is paying attention to what I’m doing, and everyone knows you aren’t working. They’llassume you went away. I’ll text Edna and tell her that I’m going away for the weekend with a friend and that I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Sweetheart, you have no friends.” Dammit, he hadn’t meant to use that endearment. That wasreserved for…well, it wasn’t something you said to a woman you were trying to keep your distance from, certainly not one you worked for. Then again, going on a road trip with that person wasn’t exactly his smartest move, either.

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About the Author

Victoria James is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance.

Victoria always knew she wanted to be a writer and in grade five, she penned her first story, bound it (with staples and a cardboard cover) and did all the illustrations herself. Luckily, this book will never see the light of day again.

In high school she fell in love with historical romance and then contemporary romance. After graduating University with an English Literature degree, Victoria pursued a degree in Interior Design and then opened her own business. After her first child, Victoria knew it was time to fulfill her dream of writing romantic fiction.

Victoria is a hopeless romantic who is living her dream, penning happily-ever-after’s for her characters in between managing kids and the family business. Writing on a laptop in the middle of the country in a rambling old Victorian house would be ideal, but she’s quite content living in suburbia with her husband, their two young children, and very bad cat.

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