Tall, Dark, and Dangerous Cowboy is the final installment in my Grit and Grace series about five women who join together and form a rodeo rough stock company, discovering that not only can they survive, but also thrive in a man’s world. 

Five Acts of Sabotage, One Final Reveal

When I first started writing the Grit and Grace series, I knew I wanted each book to be more than just a love story. Each one had to stand on its own, with its own couple, its own romance, and its own happily-ever-after. But there also had to be a deeper thread pulling the stories together.

That thread was sabotage.

From the very beginning, someone wanted to see the women-owned rough stock company fail. And in each book, that hidden enemy struck in a new way. One act of sabotage per story. Five different dangers. And all along, one burning question: who was behind it all?

The Clues Along the Way

In every installment, readers saw a new scheme unfold—sometimes subtle, sometimes life-threatening. Each heroine and hero had to overcome not only personal challenges, but also another blow to the company they were fighting to protect. And while the mystery deepened with every twist, the true face of the saboteur remained just out of reach.

Book Five: The Truth Comes Out

And now, at last, it’s here.

She’s determined to protect her friends and the life she’s built, but never imagined that love could pose the greatest danger of all…

Meira Ware, once a brilliant genetic researcher, has worked hard to build a new life as a bronc rider after being driven out of her old career by unfounded accusations. She’s kept her secrets close, never wanting her past to destroy the fragile hope she’s built with Grit and Grace. But when sabotage escalates—and the culprit finally prepares to strike the decisive blow—Meira can no longer hide.

Enter Dillon Johnson, a former Navy SEAL turned private investigator, hired to discover who’s been trying to bring the company down. He’s sharp, determined, and utterly captivated by the brilliant woman who would rather face down a bronc than risk her heart.

As attraction sparks between them, the danger grows more menacing. And when the truth about the saboteur is finally revealed, both Meira and Dillon will face the ultimate question: can love survive when the truth cuts this close to home?

The End of the Ride

Writing this series was a challenge, a joy, and at times a nail-biter for me too. I wanted every book to deliver both romance and suspense, but I also wanted the mystery to stretch across all five, building to a finale that would feel satisfying.

The women of Grit and Grace Rodeo Roughstock Company have proven that love, as always, is worth the risk.

Excerpt:

After taking his place next to Asher in the center of the living room that was as large and opulent as the rest of the A Bar H ranch, Dillon did his best to school his face into a pleasantly neutral expression. He hadn’t been kidding when he’d commented to the mahogany-haired beauty that it was quite the crowd gathered before him. 

Seeing the list of names Asher had sent him on a computer screen didn’t quite carry the impact as the collection of actual bodies did. It was a lot of people to research, both online and through face-to-face interviews, but that was why he was being paid the big bucks. Regardless of Asher’s claim that everyone here was trustworthy, Dillon fully intended to draw his own conclusions. 

Plus, it was the simplest way to identify possible motivators for outside bad actors to commit the acts Noah had detailed over the phone when asking for Dillon’s help. Asher had also forwarded him the anonymous letter that had been sent to the investors Grit and Grace had secured, which had led to at least one of them withdrawing their financial support. The stakes were steadily getting higher.

Dillon acknowledged Asher’s introduction with a polite nod of his head. “Thank you, Mr. Halliday.”

Noah fake-coughed into his fist while saying, “Kiss-ass.”

Man, he’d missed the guy. A small smile pulled at the corners of Dillon’s mouth, but otherwise, he did his best to pretend not to have heard his former teammate. “As Noah’s clearly more intelligent older brother said, I’m a PI out of the Big Easy, and I’ve been brought in to look more closely at the incidents, as Asher so politely characterized them, that have been occurring here at the A Bar H and in Last Stand.”

Questions and conversation erupted from the group in front of him. 

Though the temptation was great, he resisted the urge to slide his gaze to the woman standing in the doorway to his right, despite swearing he’d heard a soft gasp come from her. He already knew in his bones she was going to be a distraction to him. Best to shut it down now.

Dillon pushed his hands into the front pockets of his tactical pants as he ran his gaze over the people seated on the couches, waiting for them to get the initial reaction out of their systems. The women of Grit and Grace were all stunning, and their men were decidedly possessive looking. 

A pretty honey-blonde seated on the couch directly in front of him asked Asher, “Do you think we’re in danger?”

The man seated next to her put a comforting hand on her knee. “I won’t let anything happen to Lily. Or you.” 

According to the list of the inhabitants of the A Bar H Asher had sent him, Dillon knew Lily was the baby’s name, so the woman must be Sammie Neisson, being comforted by her new husband, Alec Neisson. 

The petite platinum blonde on Sammie’s other side said to her, “Noah will never let anyone hurt us, Sammie.” 

So, that must be Emma. Dillon shifted his gaze to Noah, raising his brows in a silent inquiry. Noah’s shit-eating grin and slight, So, I’m lucky as hell shrug was confirmation enough.

Dillon gave him an Atta boy dip of his chin. Again, he had to fight the urge to glance toward the doorway, where a very different sort of woman stood. One who brought to mind fire and earth. 

Finally, Asher stepped forward, his hands raised. “Settle down, everyone. Let the man speak.” 

Once quiet was restored, Asher turned to Dillon and gestured for him to continue.

Dillon returned to his spiel. “I’m here because there is nothing polite about a screwdriver jammed into the ranch truck’s gas tank. Or the fireworks that could have caused harm as well as mayhem during the Last Stand Fourth of July Rodeo Parade. Or the oil rag fire set against the equipment barn during your Christmas Open House. Not to mention the cut barbed wire fence in the bred longhorns’ pasture. And there was definitely nothing polite about the anonymous letters disparaging the women of Grit and Grace that were sent to your investors.

“While I’ll begin my investigation with the last incident by tracing the IP address the letter was sent from, I will need to interview each of you to learn as much as I can to also help me get to the root of your problem.” 

Dillon finally allowed his gaze to slip to Meira and promptly wished he hadn’t. The color that had previously been riding high on her cheeks had leached away, leaving her pale. And the suspicion that sparked in her eyes had been replaced with something he’d seen far too many times before in his previous career. Fear. 

Now what would a PhD genetic researcher turned bronc rider turned roughstock contractor trained in Krav Maga be afraid of? Did she think her past had come back to haunt her?

She’d been the first name on Asher’s list that he’d looked up on the internet this morning, but all he’d been able to find was her impressive academic achievements and a hire date at some lab. So, he found an employee list and started making phone calls. 

He’d been hung up on the minute he’d mentioned Meira’s name until he got lucky and connected with a woman in HR who was retiring and apparently had no shits to give or secrets to keep. What he’d learned had placed Meira in a much different light for him. 

Meira had been sexually harassed by some of her fellow researchers, and when she’d complained, as she rightly should have, she had been the one to lose her career. The woman in HR felt strongly that Meira had been shafted, and that she should have filed a lawsuit, but apparently, her parents had discouraged it. What kind of parents did that?

Yet Meira obviously hadn’t let what had happened defeat her. Little wonder why she’d learned self-defense. 

In a blink of an eye, he saw the fear replaced by a look of wariness he was also very familiar with in his present career. Clearly, what she’d gone through had left a mark. 

Had the mark taken the form of undeserved shame?

Distraction or not, Dillon knew his first interview would be with one Dr. Meira Ware. 

About the Author.

Having never met an unhappy ending she couldn’t mentally “fix,” Leah Vale believes writing romance novels is the perfect job for her. A Pacific Northwest native with a B.A. in Communications from the University of Washington, she lives in Central Oregon, with a huge golden retriever who thinks he’s a lap dog. While having the chance to share her “happy endings from scratch” is a dream come true, dinner generally has to come premade from the store.