HIS COWBOY HEART

Ford Kendrick and Jamie Keller broke up because of clashing family problems—Jamie's drove her away from their hometown even as Ford's kept him rooted there. They each left the relationship broken by the difficult choices they were forced to make.

Ford stayed home to care for his grandfather and his family's ranch. He saw his brothers finish school, fall in love, and start families of their own. He spent the money he'd saved to move away with Jamie on his grandfather's medical bills, relieved to have the old man in good health again. Jamie left her abusive mother's house to join the military after her plan to buy a little place with Ford fell through. Eleven years later, Jamie returns home after being shot in Afghanistan with a serious case of post-traumatic stress disorder and no real idea of what to do with her life. Enter Ford, who seems to be everywhere Jamie needs him to be: separating her from a fight with her brother, taking care of her (and himself after she shoots him during a flashback) while she's blackout drunk, and generally nursing her back to health. Unfortunately, Tobin, a member of her company from when she was in the Army, won't let her try to get on with her life. She can't remember the face of the man who attacked her squad despite therapy and meds, and Tobin insists that she doesn't need to. He'd prefer that she move on to a life with him, since he can best understand her trauma. Add that to the jealousy Ford feels, and it creates a tense love triangle, but while Jamie's PTSD is an integral part of her character development, Tobin's contributes to his general villainy, which seems counterintuitive.

An interesting book that turns a lot of established tropes and gender norms on their sides.