Cooper Krenshaw knows what it’s like to feel the bright lights upon him, the sound of the crowd roaring when he walks on stage; after all, he happens to be one of the biggest names in country music at the moment. And he has knowingly just dropped off the grid. The first decision he has made on his own in quite some time. Cooper only thought he was looking for a challenge when he walked off of that concert stage in Chicago. After finding himself in Devil’s Bend, Texas, he soon realizes that the dream he’s been chasing might not be the one he was after all along.
Now he’s found himself not only starting over in a new town, but he’s pretty sure he’s met the toughest challenge of his life… she just happens to be an angel in blue jeans.
Tessa Donovan hasn’t been the best of friends with Fate for quite some time now. Owning and operating The Rusty Nail, a small bar in her hometown of Devil’s Bend, has been enough to keep her going through the motions of her life. But it’s the only thing she’s got. After losing her husband fifteen short months after they were married, Tessa has spent the last four years chasing dreams in order to maintain her sanity. Only those dreams are soon ripped right out of her grasp by a sexy country music star who claims he descended on her small town by accident.
Coincidence? Or has Fate stepped in once again? Whatever the case, Tessa knows the handsome cowboy might get to overtake her dreams, but she’s bound and determined that he won’t take her heart.
Dalton Calhoun hadn’t always planned on a life up on the big stage, beneath the bright lights, but that was where he found himself. A second chance of sorts. An opportunity that had come along after his real dreams vanished when he was eighteen years old. Although country music was more than he could’ve expected, he’d never dismissed the notion that there was still something missing.
When Dalton followed his buddy Cooper Krenshaw to Devil’s Bend, Texas, it didn’t take long before Dalton realized just what that was. But just because he has topped the country music charts, and made his fair share of women swoon, doesn’t mean that everything comes easy to him. And when he sets his sights on the black-haired, gray-eyed waitress at The Rusty Nail, Dalton realizes he might just have to work for what he wants.
Katie Clarren’s life has been a series of unfortunate events, starting from the time her mother left on her eighteenth birthday. Not exactly how she had planned to spend one of the major turning points in her young life. Nor had she planned to spend the next five years dealing with the fallout. Somewhere along the way, Katie adapted, doing exactly what she needed to do in order to survive. But Katie has secrets that even her closest friends don’t know. Secrets she has worked hard to protect.
Although she longs for handsome, charming, country music sensation, Dalton Calhoun, she knows that anything that starts between them can’t last. Too bad her heart doesn’t seem to be on the same page. Katie gives in to her love for Dalton, needing that human connection that has been missing for so long. But when it comes time to make the hard decisions, Katie forces herself to walk away from him. To protect her secrets, and him. The last thing she wants to do is hurt Dalton, no matter how much pain she has to endure in the process. She loves him.
Can the two of them overcome the secrets and lies? Can they look to the future and stop living in the past? Or will they keep dwelling on the dreams that vanished, not seeing what is right in front of them? Each other.