Ride (2008)

Bull rider Risa Forrester and Sheriff Duke Boone have been dancing around their attraction for the better part of a year now. Almost everyone in Quinten, Montana can see it, even though Risa and Duke have never so much as kissed, let alone anything more. Risa has been in love with the sheriff for a long time and senses Duke feels something for her too. He’s so damned rigid though and used to being in complete control that he won’t let go with her and act on the fire that burns between them.

Duke knows he can never give in to the simmering lust he feels for the much younger Risa Forrester. Their age difference alone makes anything between them wildly inappropriate, and he will not invite small town gossip to his front door by engaging in a relationship with the vibrant young woman, who also happens to be his son’s best friend.

But when Risa begins to seriously compete against men in her bull riding career, emotions long unused start to stir in Duke, ones he cannot ignore. Duke’s fear of Risa getting hurt drives the passion between them, and before Duke knows it, he is knee-deep in an affair with the hottest, most wildly engaging woman he has ever known. Duke finds himself almost obsessed with Risa, something he hates feeling, and is constantly fighting desire he swore he would never let in his life again.

The need to keep Risa safe pushes Duke into a reckless ultimatum, and in doing so forces the independent Risa right out of his arms. Can Duke find a way to let go of the strict control he holds over his life and allow a woman back into his heart? And if he can, how much of his soul will he have to give to this fiery woman in order to convince her that she’s the only one he wants, forever?