The Double A Ranch was established in the Texas Panhandle in 1886, and run by an Austin for more than a hundred years. Jessica Austin had accepted this mantle with pride when her beloved parents died just after her 21st birthday, and worked hard to ensure that her ancestral home was secure. It was the only thing she had left, and the only thing that she trusted. As a young woman she faced an uphill battle establishing authority over a crew of men. By the time she was almost 30, she thought she had things pretty much in control, including her steadfast single status. She packed dozens of extra pounds on top of her bad attitude toward cocky cowboys to ensure that she'd neither tempt or be tempted. Everything was going along as planned until one stormy afternoon when strange and arrogant man happened upon her innocently skinny dipping in a secluded creek. Dalton McBride was the most infuriating and cocky cowboy she'd met yet, especially when he finagled his way onto the payroll. It soon became all too apparent to Jessica that he was the most dangerous kind of man there was. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. When her lawyer confided that she might lose her beloved homestead if she doesn't come up with a groom pronto, Dalton let her know he was all too eager to offer his temporary services as a husband for hire. Jessica accepted the business proposal but gave away much more than that. For the first time in her life she had fallen in love. She only had twelve months to call Dalton her man, and all she could hope was that by the year's end he'd love her far too much to leave. Heartache, joy, heat and desire all await Jessica under unpredictable Texas skies.