Lone Wolf Cowboy (Gold Valley #7)

Yates’s spirited seventh Gold Valley contemporary (after Cowboy to the Core) unites a firefighter and an art teacher with troubled histories. Vanessa Logan returns to Gold Valley, Ore., for the first time since her twin sister, Olivia, got married two years before. Vanessa takes a job as an art teacher at the Dalton ranch, which hosts an alternative school for kids. While at the ranch, Vanessa meets up with Jacob Dalton, a firefighter and former EMT, and immediately recalls that he took the 911 call when she miscarried as a teenager. Jacob has not forgotten her either, and the attraction between them is instantaneous. Vanessa tells him about her personal demons of alcoholism and drug abuse, and Jacob reveals his guilt over a friend’s death on a firefighting mission. Sizzling sex culminates in another unexpected pregnancy; Vanessa doesn’t expect Jacob to stand by her side, and is surprised by his support. The two of them must determine whether they want to let the mistakes of the past shape their future. Yates’s emotional, believable page-turner will resonate with fans of stories about persevering through adversity. Agent: Helen Breitwieser, Cornerstone Literary. (July)