I kissed my brother’s best friend when I was 15, right before he left for basic training. He didn’t kiss me back. Fourteen years have gone by since I’ve been home. I heard he’s back but haven’t wanted to face him. But when my grandma fractures her ankle and needs in-home physical therapy, I can’t say no. Caribou Creek is too small to avoid running into Zac Ashburn. Especially since my brother works at his brewery. He’s even hotter and more tempting than I remember. It doesn’t matter that I’m dealing with my own mini-life crisis. I know my heart is in trouble. Stupid heart.

The first time I see my high school crush since graduation, I’m a 30-year-old woman laying on the table for a pap smear. He’s the hot, newly single doctor who just moved back to his hometown, hoping to find some stability for his daughter. Meanwhile, I’m a hot mess, just fired from my job and ousted from company housing. I’m living in my old bedroom and trying to get my appointments in before my insurance runs out along with what little is left of my money.

At least that's what the men in my life have taught me. My dad ran off when I was young, and just when I thought I was getting my own happily ever after, my ex left me on my own with two kids. Trying to pick up the pieces, I move to a small town where I can have help from my children's grandparents. I think I know what to expect from small-town life. Until I meet my new neighbor. Knox Madigan. Local hero. Great smile. So hot I'm sure I'd be burned if I got too close.

My life is falling apart, and the guy I meet at the bar might be the one to help me put it back together, said No One Ever. Getting dumped by my fiancé and going to the bar was not a good look. Neither was stealing condoms from the student supply and going home with a complete stranger. But here I was.

They thought she was unsuitable as a bride because she was mute. I thought that made her perfect. Silent. Invisible. I could pretend she didn’t even exist.

I've been in love with Sebastian Kemp since the second grade. Yes, the Sebastian Kemp. World famous hockey player. International playboy. Gorgeous heartthrob. I know, right? Get in line. I've been best friends with his younger sister since grade two, but I was convinced that he forgot I was alive. That's why I was so surprised when I turned on the news and saw my name and face all over it, saying that we were engaged. He shows up out of nowhere.

His butchered haircut wasn’t entirely my fault, but now I’m questioning my decision to move back to my small hometown. After years of working in the city and getting nowhere, I was given the opportunity of a lifetime, a chance to buy my own salon. All I have to do is prove to the current owner that I'm committed to the salon and Cottonwood Falls. Also located in Cottonwood Falls? Rhett Griffen, the one who broke my heart beyond repair all those years ago.

Confession: I’m known for writing the best happily ever afters… but I don’t believe in love. But you’re not allowed to say that on live TV when you’re promoting the movie based on your book. The movie producers will get really mad and threaten to cancel the sequel. Unless you can prove to the public that you have a boyfriend. A real one not nestled in the pages of a book.

By thirty, you’re supposed to have a home, a dog, a boyfriend or at least a string of lovers in the past. Instead, I’m a twenty-eight-year-old virgin living with my parents to save money. My job managing an apartment complex is the one thing I’m proud of–and that’s not just because a complete hottie just walked in the door. Tyler Griffen is here working on a construction project for nine months, which means we’ll be seeing a lot of each other. Which I don’t mind one bit if it means getting more face time with those tattooed, muscled arms and his heart melting smile.

As a boss, Gage Griffen is intense, driven, and demanding. But under his layers of Armani and grumpy exterior, he’s also generous, kind, and treats my kids the way I wish their dad would. I need to keep my distance, because this job is our fresh start. And messing up this opportunity could ruin everything, including my heart.