They carved their promises into the heartwood. Ten years later, the land is coming to collect.
Cassidy Rhodes is a Senior Associate with a corner office and a heart made of cold spreadsheets. When she’s sent to the Texas Panhandle to appraise the failing Miller Ranch, she thinks she’s just signing a death warrant for a piece of dirt. But a supercell storm and a dead engine have other plans, trapping her with the one man she was never supposed to see again.
Luke Miller is as rugged and immovable as the Ridge he calls home. For a decade, he’s fought off droughts, bank notices, and the ghosts of a summer that ended in a broken vow. He doesn’t want Cassidy’s help, and he certainly doesn’t want her pity. But when the storm ravages the historic Spring House-the only place that still holds their secrets-Luke and Cassidy must decide if they are willing to strip away ten years of resentment to save the "heartwood" of their lives.
As the "Silver Vein" aquifer rises and developers circle like vultures, Cassidy and Luke discover that some contracts can’t be settled with money. To save the ranch, they must rebuild the bridge between their worlds-one cedar shingle at a time.