Bear Dance Ranch

After the death of her mother and end to her troubled marriage, Lenora Ranvier is feeling more alone than ever before. She takes her aunt and uncle up on their offer to come and live on their failing cattle ranch in the Montana Mountains. Lenora hopes to grieve and start over but has no plans to fall in love again. All that changes the moment she meets Clay Darkhorse, Lakota cowboy and foreman of Bear Dance Ranch. Clay knows Lenora is the woman for him as soon as he sees her climb out of her pickup truck, exhausted and beautiful. He slowly wins over Lenora by taking her on long night horseback rides into the starry mountains but both Lenora and Clay have past traumas to heal before they can freely love again. Joining forces they convert the ranch from a struggling cattle operation into a swanky guest resort. But Lenora and Clay must learn to trust each other if they are to share a love as true and strong as the mountains in which they live.

"Elsie?" the dust settled, and she took a deep breath, gathering her anger around her. Carefully, trying not to let her limp show, she turned toward the now famous natural horsemanship trainer. The Lakota cowboy, Corbin Darkhorse, and the very first man she had ever loved, stood watching her. He was even more handsome than she remembered: dark hair, dark eyes, with long-fingered hands weathered by the sun and wind. She swallowed a mouthful of dirty words and wondered why he had to be here, on this day, as she picked up her mustang for the competition. Forgiveness had never been one of Elsie Rosewood's strengths, and Corbin could see she hadn't changed over the last ten years. In fact, she looked as wild, angry and stubborn as the mustang pacing in the corral behind her. His mind filled abruptly with the old image of Elsie's face bloodied, as a previous wild horse threw her to the ground and trampled her limp body. Ten years was a long time to run, and Corbin knew if he ever wanted to have peace, and the trust of the only woman he'd ever loved, then he would have to prove how much he had changed. The only thing standing in the way of a once- in-a-lifetime love is a Mustang Training Competition, $100,000, and a past neither forgotten nor forgiven.