Welcome to Creedence, Colorado—where the gossip flows, the chicken is fried, and the cowboys are hotter than a Colorado chili pepper.

I play to win…

Raised as a tried-and-true cowboy in a town obsessed with hockey, I''ve always been competitive, whether on a horse or on the ice. I thought my cowboy days were over when the NHL snapped me up, but now injuries have me heading home with a bruised ego to match the damage to my body.

One problem—when I joined the NHL, I left my high school sweetheart behind with a broken heart and not much else. Now, when I finally "cowboy up" and go to ask for a second chance, I''m shocked as hell to find her with a baby and no man around. She thinks she can forget about what we had together, but I''m bound and determined to get her caught up in us once again.