The Ranch Between Us

A Small Town Clean Romance

She came back to claim her inheritance. He gave her a reason to stay.

After the passing of her estranged grandmother, Ivy Hart never expected to return to Oak Hollow—let alone as a bride. But the will is clear: to claim the inheritance tied to her childhood home, she must marry a local and stay for one full year.

Luke McAllister is the last person she imagined standing at the altar with. A widowed rancher with quiet eyes and calloused hands, he’s also her former best friend—and the only man who ever truly saw her. For him, the arrangement offers a lifeline for his struggling ranch and a bit of stability for his young daughter.

What begins as a transaction slowly shifts. Shared breakfasts, soft glances, laughter in the fields. Ivy starts to see that the land isn't the only thing worth holding on to.

But when the year ends, they’ll have to choose: walk away, or risk their hearts on something real.

Sometimes love grows exactly where you least expect it—rooted deep, and meant to stay.

The Ranch Between Us is a clean, wholesome, standalone short story, perfect for all readers seeking heartwarming love stories without explicit content.