Maverick Quinn has never played the hero. After losing everything that once mattered, he's content to be the bad guy-gruff, guarded, and always in control. But when Stella Lane bets herself in a reckless poker game, Maverick can't walk away. He wins her-and then leaves her untouched. It's not about honor. It's about the one line he refuses to cross... again.

Stella's a rising star in the barrel racing world-fiery, stubborn, and unafraid to go after what she wants. She doesn't understand Maverick, but something about him pulls her in. So when he offers her a job training a troubled horse with Olympic potential, she agrees-she left that life behind after a fight with her parents and the chance to try again is tempting. But so is he.

Working side by side on Maverick's isolated ranch, the chemistry between them ignites into something fierce and undeniable. But Maverick's past is a wound he won't let heal. And when the truth comes out, Stella must decide if her heart can handle a man who doesn't believe he deserves to be loved.

A deeply emotional opposites-attract romance with a wounded cowboy, a brave heroine, and a love story that just might heal them both.