The Carmichaels

When Clint Carmichael died, he left a shattered wife and four children. Someone had to take over the reins of the Starlight Ranch. That someone was 23-year-old Deacon. Now, 10 years later, the multimillion-dollar ranch is running smoothly under his command. His family, not so much. Deacon’s siblings don’t always appreciate his inherent need to take care of everything and everybody. But he’s determined to carry on the family legacy to honor their father

Tobias didn’t mind not being the oldest. He was actually glad. He got all the advantages of being a Carmichael without all the obligations. He wasn’t a slacker by any means. But he didn’t carry around the weight of the Starlight Ranch on his shoulders. While Deacon kept everything running smoothly, Tobias was out in the trenches, so to speak. He was a working cowboy and proud of it.

Being away at school has crushed Abby’s adventurous spirit, and she’s been counting the days until the end of the semester. When her brother Tanner shows up with devastating news, she packs up her dorm to head home to the Starlight Ranch. As she deals with a tragic loss, Abby reconnects with Skyler Fremont and discovers he’s engaged to the daughter of a wealthy ranching family from Dallas. The news is a shock and Abby is afraid in her absence her friend has become the person he always swore he wouldn’t.

Tanner grew up as the sweet younger brother. He could live with that. And he was fine being an uncle to all his nieces and nephews. But marriage and children weren’t on his to-do list. When the new vet, Harper Waverly, moves to town, Tanner’s not sure what to think about her. With her vegetarian lifestyle and her holistic approach to healing, she’s out of place in cattle country.

He was cute, rich, and six years older than me. All good reasons to steer clear. But I just couldn’t help myself. I think I fell in love with Clint Carmichael the first time I noticed him when I was twelve and he was a high school senior. Then, it seemed impossible. Now, not so much. I just had to get him to notice me, then somehow convince my father that it was true love. Simple.