Overview
After years in Seattle, Claire Jennings eases her truck up the long drive to Willow Creek Ranch and into a past that still fits like a favorite denim jacket. Her father, Hank, greets her on the porch with Ranger the border collie twirling at their feet; the old ranch house smells of cedar, saddle soap, and every summer she ever loved. Her mother's laughter lingers only in photographs now, a loss that still tugs at both of them.Even as the land settles her, worry sets in. Hank's easy smile keeps slipping-there's the short cough, the careful way he takes the stairs, and the doctor's appointment card stamped MISSED tucked beneath the kitchen phone. Claire promises herself she'll keep an eye on him, even if he won't make a fuss.Silver Ridge itself is as alive as ever-Main Street hums, the Methodist ladies bake for meetings, and the rodeo banner goes up over the community hall. At that meeting (where "volunteers welcome" is more decree than suggestion), Claire finds herself roped into helping... and seated beside Ethan Cole, the steady-handed local veterinarian who once knew all her dreams.One ride-along turns into more; barn calls and sunrise drives have a way of loosening old knots. Claire sees how Ethan works-calm voice, sure touch-and remembers how it felt to belong to a place and a person at the same time. Between chores at the ranch and check-ins on Hank, she begins to wonder if the quiet she hears along Willow Creek might be her future, not just her past.As summer builds toward the rodeo, Claire must choose: return to the polished certainty of city life, or stay where the days move with the rhythm of horses, coffee on the porch, and a man who still looks at her like there's a place with her name on it. Either way, Willow Creek is about to change her heart.
- | Author: Ivy Ashby
- | Publisher: Independently Published
- | Publication Date: Aug 15, 2025
- | Number of Pages: 438 pages
- | Binding: Paperback or Softback
- | ISBN-13: 9798298342315
