She came to the Adirondacks for a vacation.
She didn't expect to end up abandoned, broke, and living in a cowboy's lake house.

When Jewel's so-called friends leave with a $2,000 bill that drains the last of her savings, it isn’t where she thought she’d be at this point in her life. She has until the end of the week to figure out what to do. Until then, the mountain trails are still beautiful. And Sundancer, her loyal mare, never once thought about leaving.

Then she meets Cole Blackwell. Steady, guarded, and far too good-looking in a Stetson. And his three-year-old son Beckett, who declares them best friends before she's finished introducing herself.

Cole needs a babysitter. Jewel needs a place to stay. It should be simple. Temporary. Perfectly logical.

And it is. At first.

But the longer she stays, the more she starts to wonder about the woman who left this little boy behind—and why she doesn’t want to be found.

Where the Trail Leads is the first book in a warm, slow-burn romance about second chances, hard-earned trust, and the unexpected places we find home