He's the rodeo's fallen legend with a mean streak and a smile that dares you closer. She's the therapist sent to keep him sober, salvage his career—and never touch him. One rule stands between them and the wildfire: don't cross the line.

When licensed trauma counselor Ava Quinn arrives at Iron Crest Ranch, Montana, her six-week assignment is simple on paper—evaluate bull-riding star Maddox Hayes or he's blacklisted from the circuit. What greets her is shirtless, bloodied temptation with a talent for trouble and a voice that turns compliance into a game. Their sessions crackle. Boundaries thin. One reckless brush of his mouth feels less like a kiss and more like a dare. And in a small town where storms roll fast and gossip rides faster, one misstep could end her license and destroy his last chance at redemption.

Maddox is done burning out. He wants the fight that keeps him alive—Ava. But choosing her means choosing control, truth, and a future he's never trusted himself to want. Ava swore she wouldn't be the woman who loses everything for a man who loves like a bruise. Now she has six weeks to decide if the only way to save them both is to break every rule...and rebuild something unbreakable.

A forbidden, age-gap small-town romance with obsessive heat, relentless stakes, and a cowboy who'd rather be remade than let her go.