Take the Fall by Megan Squires

Even though he grew up fifty acres away, Grady Cutter would always be the boy next door.

For longer than she can remember, Maren Friar has craved a life that could only be found on the other side of her small town’s barbed-wire fence. Chasing that dream, she heads off to college, but city life quickly proves empty and has her missing a certain cowboy she had every intention of leaving back at the ranch.
Protecting the people around him is in Grady Cutter’s blood. As a rodeo pickup man, it’s his job to make sure bucking horse riders land on solid ground once their clock runs out. He’s also made it his mission to protect Maren Friar, the only women to ever hold his heart. And there’s no time limit on that devotion.
When tragedy brings Maren back to Riverburn, Grady sees it as a second chance at once-in-a-lifetime love. But he’s harboring a secret that could change everything. And he fears if she learns the truth, it’ll send her packing again, this time for good.
Grady’s used to lassoing wayward bulls and wild broncs, but Maren’s heart might be the toughest thing he’s ever tried to wrangle.