Faking It with the Cowboy: A Brother's Best Friend Romance (Blackthorn Ranch #3)

She fake-engaged herself to her brother's grumpy best friend. Now the lines between pretend and real are dangerously blurred.

Jessa Sterling has spent her life making everyone else's dreams come true at Blackthorn Ranch's wedding lodge. But when her ex shows up with his new fiancée—for a wedding she's coordinating—desperation leads to the worst lie of her she's engaged. To Boone McCoy, the brooding ex-Army Ranger who's been off-limits since the day he arrived at the ranch.

One summer. One fake engagement. Zero chance of keeping their hearts intact.

Jessa Sterling runs Blackthorn Ranch's wedding lodge while quietly worrying about foreclosure. Her ex called her "too much" before dumping her. So when he arrives with his perfect fiancée, Jessa "Actually, I'm engaged too."

The problem? She's not. Until her brother demands to know who, and Jessa blurts out Boone McCoy—six feet of tattooed, grumpy ex-military muscle who's Cole's best friend.

Boone came to Montana to forget. An IED explosion killed his unit and left him with nightmares. Cole saved him, gave him purpose at Blackthorn. The last thing he should do is betray that trust.

But when Jessa begs him to play along—just through wedding season, just for show—he can't refuse. It's temporary. Hand-holding at events. Staged kisses. Separate bedrooms.

Except nothing about Jessa is controlled.

She drags him to farmers markets and makes him smile. She doesn't flinch at his nightmares, just climbs into bed and strokes his hair until the demons quiet. She sees the man underneath—the one who thought he was too broken for love.

What readers are saying about Blackthorn

✦ Brother's best friend tension that DELIVERS
✦ Wounded military hero gets the sunshine he deserves
✦ Fake dating that becomes real FAST
✦ Small-town wedding season backdrop
✦ Steamy scenes with emotional depth
✦ Found family that will make you cryAs summer heats up and wedding season peaks, pretend kisses become desperate claiming. Shared glances turn into stolen nights. Boone's carefully constructed walls crumble under Jessa's gentle persistence, and she discovers she's not "too much"—she's exactly enough for the right man.

But secrets have consequences.

When Jessa's ex suspects the engagement is fake and Cole discovers the truth, Boone's worst fears explode. He's betrayed his best friend. He'll ruin Jessa's reputation. His PTSD makes him unfit for her bright future. The kindest thing he can do is walk away—except Jessa Sterling isn't letting her soldier go without a fight.

In a sun-drenched Montana town square, one woman must prove to a wounded warrior that he's worthy of forever, while he learns that true strength isn't protecting everyone from yourself—it's letting yourself be loved.

Tropes readers

Fake Dating/Fake EngagementBrother's Best Friend (forbidden)Grumpy/SunshineForced ProximityMilitary Hero with PTSDFriends to LoversSmall-Town Wedding SeasonProtective Alpha HeroFAKING IT WITH THE COWBOY is Book 3 in the Blackthorn Ranch series.