Kicking Dirt

She's spent a decade curated in flour and frost. He's the first heat wave she can't escape.
In Dusty Creek, Texas, Catherine "Cat" Berg is a woman of quiet routine and sharp edges. As the owner of Berg's Bakery, she's mastered the art of the perfect crust and the even more perfect "no." Everyone knows not to push her-especially not about the vintage Harley Shovelhead parked out front, a chrome-and-steel ghost of the man who died before they could see the world together.
When her first love, Coop, perished in a roar of twisted metal nine years ago, Cat didn't just lose a boyfriend; she lost her appetite for the future. She's content with her flour-dusted life, her protective older brother Nate, and the safe, cold comfort of one-night stands that never leave a mark.
Then Rebel Williams rode into town.
A world-champion bull rider known as the "King of the Ring," Rebel is used to things that are fast, loud, and dangerous. He's only in Dusty Creek for four months, but one look at the raven-haired baker with the "don't touch" aura and the vintage bike, and he's hooked. He sees the fire behind her chocolate-brown eyes-the fire she's been trying to douse for years.
Rebel is everything Cat hates: cocky, temporary, and a reminder of the adrenaline that once broke her world. But as he shows up day after day, trading barbs for brioche and refusing to flinch at her "clap backs," he starts to do the impossible. He isn't just breaking down her walls; he's showing her that there's life after the wreck.