She trusts everyone. He trusts no one.

In her job as a Sheriff’s Department Dispatcher, Cecily Cooper sees plenty of people who could use a second chance. She’s created a program to give the less advantaged a fresh start, and thinks her brother’s Colorado cattle ranch will be the perfect spot for her project. Some responsibility and a touch of physical labor will help these people find an alternative to life on the streets.

Bryce Barrett, ex-Army Ranger now turned cowhand on the Triple-D Ranch, prefers animals to people. People have agendas. Animals don’t. It’s one reason he and Cecily are always on-again, off-again in the relationship department.

When 17-year-old Grady Fenton is chosen as the first candidate for Cecily’s program, Cecily is thrilled. Bryce not so much, especially when his boss assigns him to be Grady’s mentor. Can Bryce convince Cecily there’s more to Grady than typical teenage angst? Or is he reading more into the boy’s behavior than is really there? When someone is killing cattle across the state, the Triple-D’s herd is no exception. Does Grady have answers?

Sparks fly when Bryce and Cecily must put aside their differences long enough to discover what Grady is hiding. Soon things escalate, and it’s not just cattle in danger.