A Heart Like the West
Love at first sight? That was a phrase Cole Harper had always shrugged off, like an old coat that didn’t quite fit. But then she stepped out of the SUV, all sleek lines and sophistication, with her hair pulled back in a practical bun and sunglasses perched atop her head like a crown. The midday sun caught her in its golden net, and something clicked inside him—like the snap of a saddle buckle just before a ride. She was everything he wasn’t—meticulously dressed in a crisp white blouse, slim black jeans, and polished ankle boots that had never met a day of dust. Her name was Lila Bennett, a corporate consultant from the city, trading boardrooms for barns for just one holiday week. It was supposed to be a break. A breath. Not a breathlessness. And certainly not this electric moment she felt the instant their eyes locked. Cole stood tall by the paddock fence, a worn Stetson shadowing a face sun-kissed and rugged, with eyes the color of prairie skies before a summer storm. His shirt, ro...