Convicted Heart — Gayla Drummond

Unexpected car trouble brings photojournalist Brandy Peterson to a dot on the map known as Last Chance, Texas where a hunky, blue-eyed cowboy saves her from certain death.
Reed Lattimore's world is turned upside down by her appearance, and he longs for the feisty stranger to stick around.

But there's a secret in his past that's forever tainted his future, and Brandy's not the sort to let a mystery go unsolved.

A novella of 22,412 words.