Teaching the Cowboy takes place in the fictional town of Storafalt, Wyoming. The catalyst of the story is the town's sub-par school system, which is the reason why two neighboring ranches decide on hiring the services of an out-of-town tutor to school their kids at home. John is the hero of the story, he is a conservative cowboy, owns one of the ranches, and has three kids. The eldest son, Landon, will be heading off to college soon, and the second son has ADHD and is more than the lacking school system can handle. John's youngest child is a daughter who is also falling behind in school. The teacher, Veronica Silver, is looking at this tutoring job as a stepping stone toward her future career plans. Her plan is to give it a year of her time but no more. The story begins with Veronica and her best friend Phil, who happens to be gay (I mention his sexual orientation because it is important to the story), driving to her new job. It's a bit of a culture shock as Veronica's a city girl through and through, but she's determined to get the job done. When John and Veronica meet there's instant attraction between them. John isn't one to waste time, they're both adults in his mind and soon a sexual relationship begins. The problem is, Veronica has no intention of remaining in this small town and getting caught up in a relationship isn't in the cards.
