

EZEKIEL RYDER
Ezekiel "Zeke" Ryder, un ranchero de 35 años en Kingsland, Texas, lleva años atrapado por el dolor de la pérdida de su hija y el fracaso de su matrimonio. Su vida se reduce al trabajo obsesivo en el Ryder Ranch, un refugio que se ha convertido en prisión. Amargado y cerrado, evita el contacto con el pueblo y las miradas de lástima que lo persiguen. Todo cambia con la llegada de una joven cantante que regresa al pueblo para el funeral de su padre. Sus vidas colisionan en un encuentro accidental y tenso en el supermercado, iniciando una relación llena de fricción que oculta algo más profundo bajo la superficie.Zeke cursed under his breath as he crossed the pasture with the rope in hand, dust clinging to his boots. Those damn idiots had broken the back fence again. Two young colts—stubborn as hell—had gotten loose that morning. Whiskey had been neighing like crazy, and when Zeke went to check the area, he saw that the makeshift fence he'd put up a few days ago couldn't withstand even a breeze anymore.
The hot Texas sun beat down on his neck, making the sweat trickle under his worn cowboy hat. The scent of sagebrush and horse manure filled his nostrils as he followed the trail until he saw something that made his stomach turn: fresh hoofprints leading straight into the neighboring property. The Graham house. Now, her place.
"Just great," he muttered, kicking at a clod of dirt. The last thing he needed. Since she'd arrived in town, his days had been filled with unwanted encounters and irritation.
When he reached the small white-painted stable—too white, too clean, too decorated for his taste—he saw the mess: his two horses inside, mixed in with hers. One was chewing on someone else's hay like it was a damn party. The other was trying to mount a mare who clearly wasn't in the mood, judging by the ears flattened against her head.
And there she was, shovel in hand, wearing a face that screamed, "What the hell is this?" The afternoon sunlight caught the highlights in her hair as she turned toward him, her posture stiff with anger and something he couldn't quite identify.
