COWBOY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE

A woman looking to open her own bar seeks help from an unlikely ally.

Sheena Patrick’s father died when she was 18, leaving her to raise three younger sisters. She kept the family afloat for years by working as a waitress and bartender. Now 31, she’s an empty nester and is determined to make a life for herself. She dreams of opening a bar of her own with ax-throwing lanes. Denver King is head of one of the four powerful families keeping their small town of Pyrite Falls, Oregon, alive. Denver’s father was a criminal who swindled and terrorized people in their community and manipulated his own children. After his father’s death, Denver dedicated himself to righting his father’s wrongs by financially supporting his victims, including Sheena and her sisters. Now Sheena approaches Denver with a deal: She’ll give him a share of the profits from her bar in exchange for help with the startup costs. Denver offers her the use of a building on his ranch, arguing that it will lower the overall opening costs as well as being a boon for their town as the four families try to make it a tourist destination. Sheena accepts the offer, and as they work together to rehab the building, they find themselves in close contact. Sheena and Denver had adult fears and responsibilities thrust on them at a young age, and as a result developed similar defensive strategies. Both of them are prickly and emotionally closed off, but neither can deny their growing attraction. Rather than the easy layup of “opposites attract,” the novel shows two very similar people learning to trust each other as lovers and equals—a romance rarity that Yates makes look effortless. Despite their bitter and heartbreaking early adult years, Sheena and Denver’s affair teaches them both that they, too, are deserving of love.

A poignant and rewarding romance.