Chapter 1

Amy stood in the soft lamplight of her bedroom, the familiar creak of the old ranch house floorboards under her bare feet. At twenty-four, she still carried the petite frame that had made her look younger than her years back in high school. Her brownish hair fell in loose waves just past her shoulders, and her hazel eyes caught the warm glow as she glanced at her reflection in the dresser mirror. The room was simple and lived-in—nothing fancy, just like the rest of the big, traditional Western home she shared with Austin and his mother Tammy. Solid wood furniture, quilted bedding, and framed photos of family and ranch life on the walls.

She slipped out of her daytime clothes, folding them neatly on the chair. Austin had been gone nearly a month now, off in the mines of South America. Two more months to go. It was longer than usual, and the stretch of empty evenings had started to weigh on her in ways she rarely admitted out loud. She had been with Austin since she was fifteen. He was the only man she’d ever been serious with—the only one she’d ever known in that way. He was kind to her, respectful, a hard worker who had stepped up after his father died when he was seventeen. No reckless drinking, no laziness. He planned ahead, saved money, made sure the ranch stayed solid even after he handed the day-to-day to the loyal manager and crew. But romance? Deep emotional connection? Those things lived mostly in the novels she read and the movies she watched late at night.