TheBloomingInk
Sloane Tate has everything money can buy and nothing she actually needs.
Raised in the glare of Los Angeles wealth by parents who only notice her when she's in trouble, Sloane has learned how to be loud enough to be seen. One reckless night, one arrest too public to ignore, and her parents decide the solution is distance.
They send her to Texas.
To a quiet ranch outside Wimberley. To grandparents she barely knows. To a life that smells like dust, hay, and bacon in the mornings.
Ember Ridge Ranch is nothing like the world Sloane came from. It's slower. Rougher. Honest in a way that makes her uncomfortable. And it comes with Rowan the ranch hand who lives on the edge of the property, keeps his distance, and looks at her like she's an inconvenience he didn't ask for.
Rowan is all grit and restraint. Sun-worn hands. Sharp blue eyes. A jaw dusted with scruff that looks like trouble. He doesn't care who Sloane's parents are, doesn't fall for her city polish, and doesn't hide his irritation when she pushes his boundaries.
They clash instantly. She thinks he's rude. He thinks she's spoiled. Neither wants to admit the tension sparking between them feels dangerous.
As Sloane begins to soften under the Texas sun surprising even herself with how naturally she fits into ranch life but old secrets buried in the attic begin to surface. Papers she doesn't yet understand. Clothes that carry memories that don't belong to her. A yellow dress that rattles Rowan in a way he refuses to explain.
And beneath it all, a past tragedy tied to Sloane's family threatens to unravel everything she's just beginning to build. Because Ember Ridge isn't just a place to hide.
It's a place where the truth is waiting.
And some things don't stay buried forever.