TO TAME A WILD COWBOY

In the seventh installment of the Cupid, Texas series, a custody battle between a rodeo star and a neonatal intensive care unit nurse leads to a marriage of convenience.

After years of living on the road, Rhett Lockhart is on track to win the Professional Bull Riders World Finals Championship when Child Protective Services drops a tiny bombshell on his carefree life—he has a daughter, Julie, the product of a weekend fling. Ever since her biological mother abandoned her, baby Julie’s been in the care of Tara Alzate, the selfless nurse who saved her when she was born premature. Tara loves children but can’t have any of her own. Rhett’s reputation as a womanizer precedes him—he once dated Tara’s sister Aria—and Tara is determined to keep the baby away from him. But she can’t stop Rhett from claiming his parental rights. Torn between his career and his unexpected love for his daughter, Rhett tries to stall his court hearing long enough to make it to the championship before he takes Julie home. But Tara has a better idea. She asks Rhett to marry her—it’ll please the judge and allow Tara to keep Julie in her life. She moves to Cupid, Texas, where a few of Rhett’s brothers have already married and settled down with Tara’s sisters, to watch Julie while Rhett is on the road. There’s a legend in Tara’s family that when an Alzate meets her soul mate, she’ll hear a humming sound. Tara hears it when she kisses Rhett on their wedding day, and their marriage of convenience turns out to be anything but. Rhett’s job is still dangerous, and Tara’s too practical to trust her heart. The narrative is punchy and fun—“Rhett Lockhart should be classified as a Schedule 1 drug. Dangerous and highly addictive.” And the relationship builds slowly enough that Rhett’s transformation from a selfish cowboy to a hopeful husband and father feels earned.

A heartwarming drama that’ll rope you in.