I wanted love at first kiss to last a lifetime. It didn’t. My wife and I separated after twenty-two years. I’d moved from Ireland to Australia to be with Taylor, never doubting that we’d grow old together. Instead, we grew apart. Her focus was our horse breeding farm, mine was our family. In the end, the scarcity of water on our farm mirrored the devotion in our marriage. It had been a long drought. Our scheming children have other ideas. They’ve invited my mother to come stay, knowing I haven’t told her about the split. It’s easier for us all if she doesn’t know. Now I’m living back in the family home, sleeping next to the woman I’ll never stop loving. Proximity won’t fix our problems. Only we can do that. I don’t think she wants to…except the way she looks at me suggests otherwise. It sparks hope I lost long ago. It’s time for us to fight for each other. Farmers know all about risk, but putting my heart back on the line is terrifying. If I want forever, it’s a risk I’m going to have to take.

When my husband died, I was saddled with a lifetime of debt. Enter Curtis, a brooding, no-nonsense American vet with a soft spot for horses. His proposal: marry him so he can stay in Australia and buy the business of his dreams. In return, he’ll make my financial woes disappear. It seems like a good business transaction to me. It’s only a year of my life. As we navigate life on the farm—from stubborn mares to nosy neighbours—I find he’s not so surly after all. Beneath his gruff exterior lies a man who knows how to mend more than just animals. He can rescue hearts as well. The problem? His constant reminders that we’ll be free of each other in twelve months show his heart is not on the same track as mine. At the end of twelve months my debts will be gone, but my heart may not survive losing the man I never thought I’d fall for.