This is the second book I’ve read in this series set in and around Painted Barrel, Wyoming. Jason Clements arrives in town desperate for a new start. His cousin has recommended him for the job, but Jason knows absolutely nothing about ranching, although he’s always been a willing worker and he’s not afraid of hard or dirty work. A veteran of the Afghanistan war, he suffers from PTSD. Faced with the reality before him, Jason begins to panic and hastily invents an errand in town, promising to return after the weekend. As his anxiety increases, he runs into the nearest shelter … the townhall / library / post office. Here he meets Sage Cooper, a kind woman who is everyone’s friend and no one’s girlfriend.

Well, it’s a holiday cowboy romance … you were expecting a realistic plot? The town residents include an innkeeper who fuels the gossip mill, a bartender / café owner who has Sage’s back, two couples who run the Price Ranch, a beauty-parlor owner planning a wedding, and Sage’s old high-school crush who is a jerk. I expect one or more of these people to appear in future episodes in this series.

It’s a fast read and there are the requisite hot-and-steamy sex scenes. Not to mention a great dog, Achilles (who is described as a setter in the book, but shown as a Labrador on the cover). ( )