Natalie Wentworth's past is about to catch up with her Natalie once dreamed of finding true love. Then Lane Gray broke her heart. After running wild to fill the emptiness inside her, she heads back to her hometown to heal. But when she sees the cowboy she once loved so much, she finds him hard to resist. Lane Gray is a changed man. The handsome cowboy wants Natalie's forgiveness—and more. Natalie has made plenty of mistakes in her life, but so has Lane. Could falling for each other again be the worst one yet? Or the path to redemption? Award-winning author Shannon Taylor Vannatter writes Christian contemporary cowboy romance. A reader since her teens, she hopes to plant seeds that love doesn’t conquer all—Jesus does. She gleans fodder for fiction in rural Arkansas where she spent her teenage summers working the concession stand with her rodeo-announcing dad and married a Texan who morphed into a pastor. She loves hanging out with her husband, son, and daughter-in-law, flea marketing, and craft projects. Reduced to lurking behind a tulle-draped pillar, Natalie Wentworth's stomach did a flip-flop. Where was Hannah? Just a glimpse of her daughter was all she needed. Her first glimpse ever, though Hannah was eighteen months old now. The early April sunset painted the big Texas sky in purples and pinks above the outdoor reception. A bright red barn provided background for the bridal party in denim and lace, with cowboys and cowgirls in full gear gathered in clusters laughing and eating. A few couples two-stepped to the twangy music. But no kids. Wyatt had to be here somewhere. The newspaper said the bride and groom attended that church he'd tried to get her to visit back when she'd first gotten pregnant. And the groom was backup announcer at Cowtown Coliseum, Wyatt's stomping grounds. A familiar swagger caught her attention. The dishwater-blond cowboy stopped at the dessert table. Wyatt. Her daughter's father. With a dark-haired woman. Natalie ducked farther behind the pillar. Why wasn't Hannah with him? Did the new woman in his life not like kids? "Natalie?" A baritone voice directly behind her sent a shudder through her. She knew that voice. Her legs threatened to give way. It couldn't be. Her heart clamored. Her breath stalled as she turned around in slow motion. Lane Gray. In the flesh. A gentle spring breeze tousled his dark hair. His green eyes turned the deepest parts of her heart into mush and sapped all the moisture from her mouth. Butterflies took flight in her stomach. As brain-dissolvingly handsome as ever. The first and only guy she'd ever loved. The one who'd broken her heart into tiny jagged pieces. "What are you doing here?" Their voices blended together. He flashed a heart-stopping grin. "The bride invited me. You?" Wedding crashing for a glimpse of my daughter. She shrugged. "I know everyone in Aubrey." "You look great." Great! Nine years since she'd seen Lane and here she was in a blah dress—navy, high neckline and the hemline barely above her knees—borrowed from her sister to crash a wedding unnoticed. Nothing she'd normally be caught dead in. She felt as if she were dressed more for a funeral than a wedding. Her funeral—if Wyatt caught her here. She had to get rid of Lane before he drew attention to her. "So, Nat, what have you been up to for the last nine years?" Fun. With no strings attached. You taught me not to let my heart get involved. "I went to college, got my marketing degree, worked as the publicist for Six Flags Over Texas and just signed on as publicist for the Stockyards." She tugged at her sister's demure pearl necklace. Had a baby—here to see her, not you. And Lane Gray wouldn't blow it for her. "Don't let me keep you." "Imagine that." He stepped closer to her. "Both of us back in Aubrey?" Her breath caught. Aubrey wasn't big enough for both of them. Maybe the commute from Garland wasn't so bad, after all. But for the last eighteen months, she'd tried to forget Hannah. And her life had disintegrated. She couldn't sleep. She couldn't focus. She couldn't function. If she could just get a glimpse of her little girl, maybe she'd be okay. Maybe she could get on with her life. A woman carrying a baby, surrounded by toddlers, joined the gathering at the punch table. Clay's mom—always the designated babysitter. Was one of the children Hannah? Natalie stepped closer to get a better look. "Nice seeing you, too." Sardonic humor laced Lane's tone. A redheaded girl—probably Clay and Rayna's. A boy. Natalie scanned another little girl. Dark hair, blue eyes, heart-shaped face. Just like her own. Hannah. Something in Natalie's chest exploded. She followed the toddler as if pulled by a magnetic force. "Natalie." Wyatt stepped in front of her, blocking her path. "What are you doing here?" She strained to see around him. Her eyes scalded. "I just wanted to see her." "It's a bit late for that, don't you think?" His teeth clenched. Why hadn't she stayed hidden