Mikayla Masterson
I never thought I knew what a home meant-until I lost the only one I'd ever known.
After my father died-well, even before that-my world started to change. Finding my mother with my boyfriend was the final blow. Living under the same roof with her after that? Impossible.
So, I packed up and left. No plan, no destination-just the need to get away.
And then I meet him-on my birthday, of all days-at a restaurant I only found because my brother wanted to treat me to something special.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think that meeting him would also mean learning what home truly is. But is it real? Can I trust it? Or will he leave me, just like everyone else I've ever loved? Caine Montgomery
I thought love was a game I'd already lost-and I wasn't dumb enough to play again.
After my divorce, I decided I was done with it-done with trying, done with trusting, done with the bullshit that comes with both. I put my energy into bronc riding, then the ranch. Work doesn't lie. People do.
After a long day at a horse auction in New Mexico, my brother and I stop at our usual steakhouse-the one place that doesn't care about the truck, the trailer, or the dirt on our boots. I just want a quiet meal and maybe a beer before heading home.
Then I see her.
She's alone, but those eyes, they're bright and full of something I can't remember ever seeing before. And when I'm offered a table before she is, I find myself asking her to join us. And for the life of me, I can't tell you why she says yes, but she does! And for a second, I find I enjoy her unexpected banter with my annoying brother. "Weird, but entertaining."
Then she's gone.
No last name.
No number.
Just a memory that won't quit.
And I've never been more pissed at myself than I am right now.