Grit and Grace - Sagebrush Cowboys #7 - Signed Paperback

Xavier
When my best friend asked me to plan his wedding, I said yes. I just didn’t expect it to be on a dusty ranch in nowhere, Texas.

I’m Xavier Hart, a Manhattan wedding planner, perfectionist, and completely out of my depth in cowboy country. Wrangling vendors, dodging small-town gossip, and living in a guest cabin with spotty Wi-Fi isn’t exactly my style. But for Lucas, I’ll make it work.

What I didn’t plan for was him.

Sheriff Marcus Webb. He’s tall, steady, and devastatingly handsome. He’s grit and steel wrapped in a uniform, with a voice that makes my knees weak and eyes that linger too long. One dance at the bachelor party and I’m gone, falling for a man from a different world than mine.

Marcus
Being sheriff means living under a spotlight. My father wore this badge before me, and I’ve spent my life trying to be the man Sagebrush expects.

The one thing I can’t be? Out.

I’ve always liked men, but not here, not where every choice I make is judged. Annual vacations to Houston are where I let myself breathe. Sagebrush is where I keep the mask on.

Until Xavier Hart blows into town in sharp suits and sharper words, tearing down every wall I built. He’s chaos, temptation, and everything I’ve told myself I can’t have.

And the longer he’s here, the more I wonder if I can be the sheriff Sagebrush needs… and live my truth at the same time.

Grit and Grace is a heartfelt, slow-burn cowboy romance about risking it all for love, finding the courage to out loud, and discovering that sometimes the toughest battles are the ones worth winning.

Excerpt from Chapter One: Xavier
October
“Lucas Greene, you fucking slut, how are you?!” I said as I answered my phone. “You better have a damn good excuse for not calling me more often.”
“Sorry, Xavier,” Lucas sighed, but I could hear the smile in his voice. “Also, look who’s talking? As I recall, I’m not the person who spent an hour with two strangers in the nightclub bathroom on New Year’s Eve.”
“That was like three years ago,” I scoffed. “Besides, I told you. We were just kissing.”
“With your cocks?”
“I’m a thorough kisser.”
Lucas burst out laughing on the other end of the line, and I couldn’t help laughing right along. This was why we were still friends, even after nearly two years of being apart. When Lucas moved to Texas, I was devastated. Things had never been the same without him. But monthly calls and almost daily texts had kept us close. It wasn’t the same, but I loved having him in my life too much to give it up.
“So,” I said at last. “You getting tired of reliving the Dust Bowl down there or what? When are you coming to visit?”
“Actually, there’s no dust,” Lucas replied. “A few tumbleweeds now and then, but it’s all grass and mesquite trees here.”
“You still love it there, then?”
“Yep,” he beamed. “Besides, I’ve got this cowboy here that needs looking after.”
“How’s Beau doing?” I’d never met the man, but from what Lucas told me, I was envisioning someone who was a healthy mix of Burt Reynolds and Walker Texas Ranger. “The ranch holding up?”
“The ranch is doing great! We just finished building another suite of cabins for the guests and putting in a pool this coming summer.” I could hear the excitement in his voice. This ranch adventure wasn’t just his business, it had become his passion. “And Beau is fine. He proposed to me, actually.”
My jaw nearly hit the floor. “He what?!”
“I know!” Lucas laughed. “Can you believe it? We’re getting married, Xavier.”
I squealed so loud that the woman walking past my apartment building actually jumped and shot me a dirty look through the window. I didn’t care. My best friend was getting married!
“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,” I chanted, pacing across my living room. “Tell me everything. How did he do it? Was it romantic? Did he get down on one knee in the middle of a field with horses watching or something equally Texas and ridiculous?”
“Actually, it was on our trip to Lake Michigan over the summer,” Lucas said, his voice going soft in that way it did when he talked about Beau. “We didn’t announce it to anyone until today, but it was really sweet. We hiked up the dunes, went down to the beach, fucked in the sand, and then he proposed to me. He said he’d been carrying around the ring for weeks, just looking for the right moment.”
My heart squeezed in my chest. I hated how sweet and hot that was at the same time. “That’s disgustingly adorable and I’m jealous and I love you both.”
“Thanks,” Lucas chuckled. “So, here’s the thing. I’m calling because I have a favor to ask.”
“Anything,” I said immediately.
“Would you plan our wedding?”
I froze mid-step. “Are you serious?”
“Dead serious. You’re the best wedding planner I know, Xavier. And you’re my best friend. I can’t think of anyone else I’d want to do this.”
My mind was already racing with possibilities—color schemes, floral arrangements, venue options. This was what I lived for. “Of course I will! When were you thinking?”
“Late spring if you have an opening? And, uh...” Lucas paused. “It would be here. In Sagebrush.”
The fantasy of tulle and champagne toasts screeched to a halt. “In Texas?”
“Yeah, on the ranch actually.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Texas. Rural, middle-of-nowhere Texas. No decent coffee shops, no nightlife, probably no cell service, and definitely not hot boys to go home with. Just cows and grass and that godforsaken heat.
But this was Lucas. My Lucas.
“I’ll do it,” I heard myself say. “I’ll make sure I have an opening.”
“Oh, thank God,” Lucas breathed out, relief flooding his voice. “I know you’re busy and it’s a lot to ask, Xavier. I really do. But it would mean the world to both of us.”
“How long would I need to be there?” I asked, already dreading the answer.
“Well... ideally, you’d come down a few weeks before to finalize everything on site. Maybe stay at the ranch? We have plenty of room now with the new cabins.”
A few weeks. In Texas. On a ranch.
I walked to the kitchen as Lucas spoke, grabbing a bottle from the fridge. Then I poured myself a glass of wine—a very full glass—and collapsed onto my velvet sofa. “Okay. Okay, I can do this. Send me dates and I’ll clear my schedule.”
“You’re the best, X. Seriously.”