Sawyer

Ava Bartlett, a recently divorced single mother to her three-year-old daughter June, joins her sisters, Dottie and Bee, for a weekend in Austin. Jaded by her marriage to her ex-husband, Dan, and a few lackluster hookups, Ava is uninterested in dating, preferring to focus on her newfound freedom and her dream job as a barrel racing trainer at Wallace Ranch in Hartsville. Her sisters, however, encourage her to find a cowboy prince. At a honky-tonk bar called the Blue Stallion, Ava's sister Bee intentionally pushes her into a tall, handsome man, causing him to spill beer on her shirt.

The man, Sawyer Rivers, is charming and insists on helping her clean up. They flirt at the bar, where he gets her napkins and a new beer. Sawyer reveals he is a rancher from Hartsville, in town with his brothers to celebrate his brother Cash's engagement. After dancing together, Sawyer invites Ava to go somewhere else. She agrees, and after sending a selfie to her sisters as a safety measure, they leave the bar.

Sawyer takes Ava to his presidential suite at The Market Hotel. On the way, he buys two bottles of champagne and two boxes of condoms. In the suite, they drink and flirt, and Sawyer correctly guesses she is a barrel racer. Their conversation quickly leads to a passionate night of playful, intense sex throughout the room. Sawyer is attentive and praises Ava's wild side, making her feel desired and free. After, they smoke a cigarette on the balcony and discuss their powerful chemistry. Before they fall asleep, Sawyer orders breakfast for the morning and secretly washes the beer stain out of Ava's shirt.

The next morning, Ava wakes up feeling emotionally vulnerable. Panicked by the intensity of her feelings and her fear of being trapped in a relationship again, she decides to leave before Sawyer wakes. She finds her shirt perfectly clean in the bathroom. As she is leaving, she sees a room service cart with breakfast outside the door, and Sawyer appears, asking her to stay. Ava makes an excuse and leaves quickly, crying in the elevator.

Three months later, Ava is thriving in Hartsville. She loves her job at Wallace Ranch, working alongside her student, Billie Wallace, and the head of veterinary programs, Sally Powell. Sally, who is engaged to a man named Wyatt, suggests a playdate for June with Wyatt's brother, a single father with a daughter June's age. Ava agrees. The community gathers for a barn raising party to repair a fire-damaged barn on the ranch.

At the party, Sally and Wyatt introduce Ava to Wyatt's brother. Ava is shocked to realize it is Sawyer. He is equally surprised to see her and reveals that the name Ella tattooed on his arm belongs to his three-year-old daughter. Their daughters are the same age, and Sawyer and Ava make plans for a playdate at a local park the next day.

At the park, while their daughters play, Ava and Sawyer have an honest conversation about the struggles of single parenthood. Sawyer shares that his parents died in an accident when he was sixteen, which shaped his protective nature. They share a hug, deepening their connection, but the playdate ends before Sawyer can ask for her number. Their paths cross again on June's first day of preschool, where Sawyer is dropping off Ella. Seeing Ava is emotional, Sawyer comforts her and invites her for coffee.

The local coffee shop is closed, so Sawyer invites Ava to his house. There, their conversation about family and the burdens of single parenthood leads to a passionate kiss and sex on his couch. They are interrupted when Sawyer's brother, Duke, barges in. Sawyer walks Ava out, gets her number, and secures a dinner date for the upcoming Saturday.

For their first official date, Sawyer picks Ava up and takes her to a secluded spot on his ranch for a picnic and bonfire. The evening is intensely romantic and sexual, and afterward, they have a serious conversation. Ava explains that her unhappy marriage to Dan has made her averse to ever marrying again. In contrast, Sawyer reveals that Ella's mother, Lizzie, is a largely absent touring musician, and he deeply desires marriage, commitment, and more children, establishing a central conflict between them.

Despite their different goals, Ava and Sawyer begin seeing each other daily, integrating their lives and their daughters' friendship while maintaining a passionate physical relationship through quick encounters and nightly sexting. The following weekend, when Dan arrives late to pick up June, she excitedly tells him about Mr. Sawyer. Dan becomes confrontational, accusing Ava of being an unfit mother and demanding to see her phone to read her texts with Sawyer. The fight leaves Ava distraught, and she calls her sister Dottie, who encourages her not to let her past with Dan sabotage her promising relationship with Sawyer.

That evening, Ava arrives late and visibly upset for her date with Sawyer at The Rattler. He comforts her in his truck, and she tells him about the fight. Furious on her behalf, Sawyer declares his love for her. Ava reciprocates, and they commit to a relationship, and he introduces himself to her as her boyfriend. The next day, Sawyer is at Ava's house when Dan drops June off. Sawyer introduces himself as Ava's boyfriend and privately warns Dan never to make Ava cry again.

On a subsequent weekend, after a date where Ava gives Sawyer a barrel racing lesson, he is driving through town when a young boy darts into the street. Sawyer swerves to avoid him, and his truck flips and crashes, leaving him severely injured. He is hospitalized with fractured ribs, a punctured lung, and a brain bleed. Ava stays by his side, and Sawyer's family rallies around them, caring for the girls. When Sawyer wakes, he and Ava reaffirm their love.

Upon his discharge, Sawyer's family and friends throw him a welcome-home party. He is moved to tears by the support. That night, Ava tells Sawyer that she and June are moving in with him, proposing they get a king-size bed for their room and twin beds for the girls. Sawyer agrees, and they commit to being free, together, resolving their conflict over marriage. Months later, they are living as a happy, blended family. A year after they first met, they return to Austin for a romantic weekend, celebrating the life they have built.