Previously published as What the Land Requires: A Ranch Romance by Eastham, Mary
He has eleven weeks to save his ranch. She wasn't part of the plan. Neither was falling in love.Caleb Hayes has spent his entire life keeping Hayes Ranch alive - 4,200 acres of Texas land his great-grandfather broke ground on with a borrowed horse and a stubborn heart. He knows every pasture, every fence line, every mood of light across the summer grass.
What he doesn't have is a wife.
His grandfather's will is clear: marry before his thirty-fifth birthday or lose the ranch to a trust board that's already in bed with a developer ready to pour concrete over everything Caleb holds sacred. With eleven weeks on the clock and a land offer growing more aggressive by the day, Caleb needs a solution - fast.
What he gets is her.
She didn't come to Hartwell looking for a rancher with a deadline. She came looking for a fresh start. A temporary arrangement, they agree. Practical. Businesslike. Strictly on paper.
But Hayes Ranch has a way of getting under your skin. So does Caleb.
As the weeks count down and the town of Hartwell watches - because small towns always watch - what started as a contract begins to feel like something neither of them planned for. Something that can't be neatly filed away when the deadline passes.
The land demanded everything from the Hayes family for generations.
Now it's demanding the one thing Caleb never thought he'd risk.
His heart.
Perfect for fans of Debbie Macomber, Diana Palmer, and Maisey Yates. If you love marriage-of-convenience romance, slow-burn tension, and rugged heroes with deep roots, you'll want to stay on the ranch a little longer.
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