liwwrites
When the dust settles, what's left is grit, heart, and a little bit of honey.
Layne Brooks was born in a saddle. A barrel-racing prodigy with a reputation built on speed and stubbornness, she's spent her whole life chasing the next run-until a fall at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds breaks more than her collarbone. It cracks open her world.
Tessa McCrae left Waco looking for a reset and found it behind the bar at Cooper Creek. She's steady, sharp, and quick with a comeback-everything Layne isn't when the crowds fade and the lights go out. What starts as shared banter over bourbon and honey becomes something deeper, steadier, and a little terrifying for them both.
As Layne fights to heal and Tessa tries to protect her heart, the two women learn that sometimes courage isn't about the clean run-it's about showing up again, bruised but brave.
Set against the dusty glow of small-town Texas, Clean Then Brave is a slow-burn romance about second chances, the rhythm of rodeo life, and finding love that holds as hard as it hurts.