A hotshot pilot's homecoming

takes an unexpected detour into off-limits romance…

Lieutenant Cal Donnelly has come home full of guilt he can't shake for events he could never control. First, he has to tell his family he's thinking of leaving the military. Second, he promised to give a Dear Jane message to his best friend's girlfriend. At least Charlotte Wilson doesn't seem heartbroken when he makes contact. In fact, she asks a favor that catches the born-and-bred cowboy completely off guard.

Charlotte needs a fake fiancé in order to buy a ranch to convert into a veterans' respite house. When Cal agrees, Charlotte seals the deal with a kiss—one they both feel in the deepest part of their hearts. Cal's life might already be filled with complications, but this unexpected attraction is impossible to ignore. And with Cal's decision to return to Texas for good, Charlotte knows they'll need to figure out just where this relationship is headed. Because a future apart is no longer something either can accept.