Eight Seconds, No Regrets

Two-time professional bull riding champion Tiernan Kittredge has built his entire life on a single, punishing rule: champions don’t have the luxury of being scared. He thrives on adrenaline, cocky grins, and the roar of the crowd. But when a devastating ride leaves him with fractured ribs, a torn shoulder, and a concussion, he is forced off the circuit and into the care of the one man who sees right through his invincible facade.

Evren Halcott is a former combat medic who thrives on routine, discipline, and iron-clad control. At forty-four, he has spent five years mourning his husband and meticulously sealing off his heart on his quiet Montana ranch. Opening his home to a twenty-seven-year-old injured athlete is supposed to be a purely clinical arrangement. It shouldn't involve late-night confessions, lingering touches, or the terrifying realization that the flirtatious, reckless cowboy makes Evren’s famously steady hands shake.

Forced into close quarters, the strict boundaries between caretaker and patient quickly blur. Evren offers Tiernan a sanctuary where he doesn't have to perform for approval, and Tiernan begins to dismantle Evren's formidable emotional walls. But as Tiernan’s body heals, the toxic pressures of the rodeo circuit mount. With a vindictive promoter and a massive bonus threatening to drag him back to the chutes, Tiernan must decide if he’s going to risk his life for an eight-second ride, or risk his heart for the man who saved him.