Heather Santos has always been the dependable one—an accomplished Denver physical therapist, devoted mother to a newly minted med student, and wife to a celebrated physician. When her clinic assigns her to develop a daring fitness-and-intimacy workshop for the over-50 crowd, Heather thinks things can’t get worse—but nothing prepares her for the real shock. In the span of weeks, her husband asks for a divorce, her daughter relocates to California for med school, and the spacious home she once took pride in becomes a haunting reminder that life rarely follows a neat script.

Thrown into uncharted territory, Heather sets out to rediscover herself. She stumbles through cooking classes, fumbles on the pickleball court, and stalks online dating profiles, one in particular catching her eye, but she’s unable to make a move. In an unlikely encounter at a rodeo arena, she’s shocked to come face-to-face with the object of her fascination—a no-nonsense cowboy and large animal veterinarian named Elias. Helping her conquer her many fears, Elias and a special Icelandic horse teach her that courage isn’t the absence of fear but the art of moving forward anyway. As Heather struggles to overcome her phobias, she must also confront her own ingrained patterns: Can a woman who’s spent decades caring for everyone else learn to design a life that thrills her, even at fifty-plus?

Equal parts laugh-out-loud comedy and tender self-revelation, this is a story of midlife reinvention, surprising romance, and the hard-won wisdom that true comfort comes when you dare to leave your old habits behind. Join Heather on her unexpected journey—and discover how a broken heart can become the kick-start to a braver, brighter future.