Jolene Joy was supposed to be dancing in New York at 24, not shoveling horse crap in small-town Tennessee. But after quitting ballet (aka the only dream her late father ever had for her), she finds herself roped into a summer job at her sister-in-law Lucia’s horse racing track, Adelaide Downs… where everyone speaks Spanish except for her.

Now, she just needs to figure her life out, Google gringita, and survive the summer following Lucia’s one rule: no dating the staff. The only problem? Adelaide’s star horse trainer, Phoenix Lark, totally makes her want to break it.

Hot off his Kentucky Derby victory, Phoenix has a smile that could short-circuit a fence line and hands that look way too good holding the reins. Worse, he seems just as drawn to Jolene as she is to him. The more he sneaks around the rule to get close to her, the more Jolene wonders if he’s the kind of man who’d risk everything if only she asked.

Adelaide Downs begins to feel like home. Until she realizes she’s not the only one willing to break the rules.

One summer. One secret. One very off-limits trainer who might just be her biggest mistake—or her best decision yet.