Jake

College botany professor Madison Garrett knows she'll be the one to win the no-sex bet she's made with her three friends, absolutely no contest. She's been celibate for ages and she's spending the summer in Costa Rica searching for rare orchids.

But she hasn't planned on the sexy science nerd who's joined her research group. When she notices that beneath his pocket protector lurks seriously rock-hard abs, all bets are off.

Cowboy Jake Strickland is on a mission to save his surrogate father's ranch and qualms aside, if he must pretend to be a flower geek to achieve his goal, then that's what he'll do. But now, he's falling for gorgeous Madison and can't help wondering what she'll do when she learns he's there to steal the precious orchid she covets.

Lori Wilde is the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers' Weekly bestselling author of 85 works of romantic fiction. She's a three time Romance Writers' of America RITA finalist and has four times been nominated for Romantic Times Readers' Choice Award. She has won numerous other awards as well. Her books have been translated into 26 languages, with more than four million copies of her books sold worldwide. Her breakout novel, The First Love Cookie Club, has been optioned for a TV movie.

Lori is a registered nurse with a BSN from Texas Christian University. She holds a certificate in forensics, and is also a certified yoga instructor.

A fifth generation Texan, Lori lives with her husband, Bill, in the Cutting Horse Capital of the World; where they run Epiphany Orchards, a writing/creativity retreat for the care and enrichment of the artistic soul.