Falling for the Cowboy's Heart

A fiercely independent rancher. A charming rodeo champion. A fake relationship that feels dangerously real.

In a quaint Oklahoma town, Jane Monroe is known for her independence and stubborn strength. She runs her ranch her way and refuses to rely on anyone—especially her irritating neighbor, Cormac Marshall. The bold bull-riding champion gets under her skin like no one else, sparking constant clashes that hide undeniable chemistry.

Cormac lives in the spotlight and faces mounting pressure to settle down. In a moment of impulse, he claims Jane as his girlfriend—and she reluctantly agrees to play along. What begins as a convenient arrangement soon becomes something neither of them can control.

As their pretend romance blurs into real emotion, rivalry turns into attraction, and both must decide whether risking their hearts is worth the chance at something real.

Jane Monroe stared at the blank document on the computer screen, trying to get her mind to work. But it wouldn’t. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t get the words to flow. Underneath “Chapter One,” the cursor blinked mockingly. She imagined it laughing at her inability to come up with even one paragraph—just one was all she needed to break the writer’s block. Her publisher had emailed, called, texted, and sent everyone but the FBI after her,

insisting she finish the chapter by the end of the week. Jane guessed since she’d successfully evaded her team, the FBI would soon be knocking at her door.

She shook her head, then removed her glasses from her face, tossing them onto the desk. This wasn’t going to work.

With an exasperated sigh, Jane slammed the laptop shut, stood from her rolling chair, and headed out of her home office. Benji, her black tuxedo cat, lifted his head at her sudden movements, then yawned with boredom before putting his head back on the desk.

The idea of sleeping sounded good to Jane, but the problem was, she wasn’t tired. Despite not coming up with the words to throw onto her evil blank page, her mind couldn’t stop thinking about the book she was supposed to be writing.

Writing hadn’t always been what she wanted to do with her life—she just kind of fell into it a few years ago, when she was in college. All the other courses were full, but she’d needed one more credit to graduate. Her creative writing professor, who had also become a good friend, encouraged her to keep the words going. Jane didn’t have anything to lose, so she submitted her first manuscript to a handful of publishers. The rest was history.

The first book was somehow easy to write; the second, not so much.

Jane walked up the stairs to her bedroom, changed into her workout clothes, then returned downstairs.

“Be back soon, Benj.” Jane walked into the office to get her glasses. The cat made no acknowledgment to her. She shrugged and stepped outside into the heat. Jane stretched her limbs before starting off at a jog.

In the distance, lining the clear blue sky were the mountain peaks of the Kiamichi Mountains, a sight that always awed her. She was lucky to live in Whispering Willow, Oklahoma. Her mother was city born, but her father grew up in the country in Montana. They now live in Atlanta, but one day when Jane was about ten or eleven years old and her father was driving through Whispering Willow, she fell in love. She knew right then that was the place she wanted to set her roots, and after the success of her book, she did just that, and she never looked back.

Most of the people in the town were friendly, and she enjoyed attending the annual Whispering Willow Rodeo Festival each fall.

Jane continued to jog until she neared The Horses Brew, one of the town’s hotspots, and slowed to a stroll. She went inside, welcoming the cool breeze. The door chimed as it opened and slammed shut when it closed.
Looking over the menu, she decided to order herself an iced mocha latte, then go back home and conquer the blank screen. Or at least try.

“Hey, Jane.” Jessie Gunner walked out of the kitchen, a smile brightening her face. “Haven’t seen you around much lately. How’s the book going?”

Jane gave her a mock glare. “Ask me no questions, I’ll tell you no lies.”

“That bad, huh? I’d offer to help, but I know nothing about writing.”

“That’s okay. It’s not so much that I don’t know what to write about. I just can’t figure out how to start the story. Starting is the hard part.”

Jessie nodded. “I get that. I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

“I hope so. My publisher wants to see the first draft of this thing in two months.” Jane made a face. “I’m not sure what’ll happen if I don’t give them something. They might revoke my contract or sue me for breaching it, or something.”

“Just take a few deep breaths,” Jessie said. “Try not to think too much of it.”