The only thing more stubborn than a Texas rancher is the woman who won’t give up on him.

Five years ago, James Thompson buried his wife—and his heart along with her.

At forty-two, the stoic rancher has built his life around routine, responsibility, and the wedding ring he still can’t remove. He’s made peace with being alone. Then a free-spirited photographer shows up at his gate, camera in hand and chaos in her wake, threatening to upend everything he’s carefully constructed.

Luna Anderson has spent her life chasing the next horizon, never staying anywhere long enough to get attached. But her career is on the line, and this assignment documenting a Texas cattle ranch is her last chance to prove herself. The last thing she expects is to find herself drawn to a grumpy widower who speaks more freely to his horses than to her.

When a storm forces them together in an old line shack, Luna discovers a side of James he’s hidden from everyone—including himself. But James has spent five years building walls, and Luna has spent a lifetime running from roots.

She’s fourteen years younger, staying only six weeks, and everything he swore he’d never risk his heart on again.

But some storms aren’t meant to be weathered alone.

The Widowed Rancher is Book 1 in the Thompson Cousins Series, a spin-off of the beloved Thompson Valley Ranch Series. Return to Mason, Texas for more steamy cowboy romances featuring the extended Thompson family. Each book features a different couple with a guaranteed happily ever after and can be enjoyed as a standalone, but reading in order offers the richest experience as beloved characters reappear throughout both series.