When bestselling romance author Ellie Aarons finds herself with chronic writerâs block, sheâs pretty sure all she needs is a change of scenery. A beautiful lakeside cottage with her cat seems like a good idea. But sheâs wrong. She needs more than a change of sceneryâshe needs a muse. And that's why itâs so irritating that sheâs drawn to the enigmatic but grumpy Duke of Windermere who owns the estate sheâs staying on. They donât get alongânot in the slightest. They could not be more different, which is why itâs so irritating that Max seems to be the muse sheâs been looking for. No matter how hard she tries, she canât help but picture him as the hero in her next book. Oh well. Thereâs really not a lot she can do about itâthe muse wants what the muse wantsâexcept Sir Winston Purrchill keeps exploring the goat barn, and Maxâs delivery of him for the fiftieth time means he sees her manuscript open on her laptop. He knows instantly that sheâs writing about him. The story sheâs written reflects their entire relationship until now...but that spicy scene? That hasnât happenedâyet. Max is ready to compromise: heâll give her the inspiration she needs for her novel, but she has to stop asking why heâs so against the relationship his grandmother desperately wants him to have. With her deadline looming, Ellie has no other option but to agree. She just hopes that she wonât do what her heroine is doingâand fall in love with the duke.