Read by CJ Bloom & Robert Hatchet
Plain Daisy Ranch, Book 1
From the author:
It’s the classic story—boy goes off into the world to fulfill his dreams and leaves the girl behind.
Not every boy returns home, and I wish Ben Noughton wouldn’t have come back to our small ranching town at all after he retired from playing professional football.
I figure it’s a quick layover for him. He always wanted out of this town and off his family’s ranch. I just have to bide my time until he turns his back on all of us again.
Then he takes on the coaching position for the high school football team and starts milling around too much, bulldozing the protective walls I’ve built around myself. But he goes too far when he takes my son under his wing to help him be the best player he can be. Leaving me to protect not only my own heart but my son’s too.
Because I promised myself a long time ago that I’d never be the girl in the rearview mirror again.
As usual for me, I started this series somewhere in the middle, so now I’m backtracking to read all the rest of the books in order. They easily stand alone, but I feel more connected to the characters when I can watch them grow and change.
Ben and Gillian were once inseparable—high school sweethearts madly in love until college and an NFL career pulled Ben away. Now retired, he’s facing a wide-open future and returns to his hometown to reconnect with family. Seeing Gillian again isn’t part of the plan. She’s the girl he walked away from, the one he’s tried to forget—though his heart never truly let go. The moment he sees her, every buried feeling resurfaces. He wants to explain, to make things right, but she refuses to listen.
When Ben’s former high school football coach suffers a medical setback, Ben steps in to coach for the season. Suddenly, he can imagine building a life in Willowbrook again—one that includes Gillian—if it’s not already too late.
Gillian is a single mother studying for the bar exam, determined to launch her law career and escape small-town Willowbrook. The news of Ben’s return shakes her, and she’s determined to keep her distance to avoid reopening old wounds. But when circumstances force them to work together, she realizes she may not be strong enough to resist a second chance with her first love.
Gillian has never revealed the identity of her son’s father, and while most of the town assumes it’s Ben, they’re wrong. She’s kept that part of her life private—even from her son, Clayton. Still, her feelings for Ben linger, and as they grow closer, new challenges emerge: how long will Ben actually stay in Willowbrook, and will Clayton ever accept him?
This is a heartfelt small-town romance filled with second chances, single-parent dynamics, irresistible charm, and sizzling chemistry. Gillian shines as a strong, sassy heroine and a fiercely devoted mother. Her bond with Clayton feels genuine, and his guarded reaction to Ben rings true for a protective teenager. The story strikes a perfect balance between the angst of past hurt and the spark of playful, flirtatious banter as the couple discovers they still can’t resist one another.
The duet narration really adds to the story and brings these characters to life. Breezy, light, and utterly escapist, this compulsive read left me eager to return to Plain Daisy Ranch.
10/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
THE ONE I LEFT BEHIND by Piper Rayne. Narrators: CJ Bloom & Robert Hatchet. Piper Rayne Inc.; May 13, 2024. ASIN: B0D42D7RTV. Listening Length: 6 hours and 33 minutes
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