She’s loved him since she was a girl. Now he’s the only man she trusts to save everything she’s fought to build.

Lawyer Jonah Clarke has devoted his career to defending young people failed by the justice system. But when a teenage client dies after he fails to protect her, his faith in himself—and the system he’s spent his life serving—is shattered.

Veterinarian Celia “CeeCee” Gamble knows what it’s like to have your world turned upside down. A devastating family tragedy nearly derailed her education, and she accepted help from a professor she believed she could trust. Only later did she discover that his interest in her wasn’t entirely professional.

Now someone is threatening to destroy her reputation with allegations of academic misconduct and animal abuse unless she pays up. Her veterinary practice, her livelihood, and even her family’s ranch could be at risk.

Desperate to protect everything she’s built, CeeCee turns to the one man she’s trusted since childhood: Jonah Clarke. Her older brother’s best friend. Her first crush. And the man who still seems determined to see her as a little girl.

Jonah knows CeeCee should be off-limits. But the capable, compassionate woman standing before him is impossible to ignore. Her unwavering faith in him challenges the guilt he’s carried for years, while his determination to defend her awakens feelings neither can afford to dismiss.

As Jonah fights to protect CeeCee’s future, she challenges him to believe in himself again. But winning her case may be easier than risking his heart—and CeeCee must decide whether the man she’s always loved is finally ready to love her back.

*Previously published as Resisting the Rancher. This edition has been slightly modified from the original.