Desert Rules

A 50 States Romance

You can follow every rule and still lose your way.

For fifteen years, Carmen Reyes and Ben Keller have been co-owners, trail guides, and best friends at Desert Rules, the premier outdoor adventure company in the Coyote Mesa high desert. They’ve crossed arroyos, argued over fire-building techniques, and weathered every storm—literal and emotional—side by side.

And they’ve never crossed the line.

Because Carmen has rules.
Rule #1: Don’t complicate the business.
Rule #2: Don’t get too close.
Rule #3: Never fall for your best friend.

But when Ben’s long-time girlfriend walks away, and Carmen’s fall solo trip collapses, they make a last-minute plan: two weeks of off-season scouting deep in the desert. No clients. No schedule. Just open road, ancient canyons, and quiet evenings by the fire.

The plan is professional. The terrain is not.

Somewhere between the echoing cliffs and starlit tents, everything between them begins to shift—old glances stretch longer, silences grow heavier, and a single kiss threatens to unravel the foundation they’ve built their lives on.

Back in Coyote Mesa, they’re forced to reckon with what’s changed—and what might be lost if they’re too afraid to risk the truth.