Plain Daisy Ranch

He's my first love. My high school sweetheart. And he's leaving tomorrow for a bigger and better life. I've loved Ben almost my entire life, and we have one night left before he heads miles away to college on a football scholarship. I'm bound and determined to make sure this day goes perfectly so he remembers me as the girl he loves. But I can't help worrying that I'll end up as the girl he loved.

It's the classic story-boy goes off into the world to fulfill his dreams and leaves the girl behind. Not every boy returns home, and I wish Ben Noughton wouldn't have come back to our small ranching town at all after he retired from playing professional football. I figure it's a quick layover for him. He always wanted out of this town and off his family's ranch. I just have to bide my time until he turns his back on all of us again. Then he takes on the coaching position for the high school football team and starts milling around too much, bulldozing the protective walls I've built around myself. But he goes too far when he takes my son under his wing to help him be the best player he can be. Leaving me to protect not only my own heart but my son's too. Because I promised myself a long time ago that I'd never be the girl in the rearview mirror again.

It's the classic story- best friends since childhood agree to a fake marriage, thinking they can pretend to love each other without their relationship changing. Jude would do anything for me. He's stood by my side since we were six, and I've done the same for him. When my father dies, leaving our family farm drowning in debt and on the brink of being auctioned, I'm not surprised Jude steps in to help. I just never dreamed he'd fall to bended knee and devise a plan for us to fool everyone into thinking there's more than a lifelong friendship between us. Soon, I'm moving into his house, we're planning a wedding on his family's ranch, and we discover a new side to our relationship. I keep reminding myself it's not real-it's only to secure a loan to save the farm. I've secretly loved Jude all my life, and now that I know how good we are together, I'm not sure we can return to being just friends.

It's the classic story-girl returns to her hometown only to end up moving in with her high school crush, who she hates. Returning to Willowbrook was my only option after Chicago chewed me up and spit me out. Technically, it wasn't Chicago's fault. It was his fault-the man I thought I knew who turned out to be a liar. My older sister, always the one to swoop in and fix things, secured me a job as a yoga instructor on her fiancé's family ranch. As my self-assigned protector, she's keeping one eye on me and one eye on Emmett Noughton, her fiancé's brother. He's the charming, fun-loving, take-life-as-it-comes kind of guy, and once upon a time, his name was scribbled in my notebooks. Back then, I was invisible to him. Now, he's looking at me like I'm the only thing in the room. But he lost his chance with me a long time ago. It's easy to keep him at arm's length and nurse the grudge I've held onto for years. Until the house I'm staying in sells, and I have nowhere to go except his house. Now, resisting him isn't just difficult-it's impossible.

It was a fun Vegas getaway-until I woke up married to my ex-fiancé's brother. After Watson brother #1 ditched me at the altar, I stopped believing in happily-ever-afters. So I have no clue how I ended up saying "I do" to Brooks-Watson brother #2-somewhere between tequila shots and bad decisions. Okay, that may not be true. Sheriff Watson has been a charming thorn in my side ever since his brother left our small ranch town in his rearview mirror. He's a little too steady, a little too sweet, and way too intuitive because he sees through my facade. But no matter how tempting he is, he's still a Watson. I demand an annulment. He refuses, bargaining four real dates before he signs. Fine. I'll sabotage each one and keep my heart safely locked away. It's easier this way because he has no idea the secret I'm keeping. Of course, Brooks doesn't go down easy-he has enough faith for both of us. He tackles my fears at every turn, making me wonder what would happen if I went all in. But trusting the wrong man once nearly ruined me-doing it again might finish the job.

It was over between Bennett Owens and me-until I had no place to go but back to Willowbrook. Seven years ago, he walked away, and I built a new life for myself, swearing never to look back. But when my husband is arrested, that life collapses, leaving my daughter and me with nothing but a three-month plan to return to the small ranch town before disappearing again. Bennett's a single dad now. Our girls become inseparable on sight, making it impossible to keep him at arm's length. Especially when I end up working alongside him, where every glance chips away at the walls I've built. The years apart haven't dulled the pull between us. Bennett remains protective and patient, determined to prove that we deserve a second chance. But he has no idea about the secret I've kept since the day he left. Because once he learns the truth, he may never forgive me. And like it or not, we'll be bound together forever-by the daughter he never knew was his.