Lila James is my best friend’s little sister, and I’ve always looked out for her. She's five years younger than me, and when she left for college, she was just a kid. But now she’s home for the summer—and she’s definitely not a kid anymore.

I was only seven the first time Grady Bowen whispered those words to me. Cloaked by the black sky under a blanket of stars, it was easy to get lost. He didn't have any good memories of his own and needed to borrow mine. I would willingly give him anything. Being infatuated with that boy was a beautiful curse. What could have been special didn't get the chance to bloom. He'd never see me as more than his best friend's kid sister. That was a hard lesson to learn, but not the most difficult.

When my brother’s best friend asks me to fake marry him to secure a business deal he desperately needs, I laugh in his face. Me, help Carter Harrington? That’s split-your-pants, rip-roaring hilarious. I don’t even like him.

I used to believe Jacob Evans could be mine. That was before he delivered unforgivable news rather than sweeping me off my feet. Not that I can fault his choice. He got the sweetest little girl out of the deal.

One deep breath. Two slow blinks. Three hollow beats. I’m still here. After three years, that reminder isn’t as necessary. But everyone has their bad days. This is definitely one of them. Until an adorable little boy dashes into my store. His zest for life makes me smile in a way that’s been long lost. Then I meet his father. Well, confront is more like it. Brance Stone is volatile. Offensive. Harsh. And can’t be bothered to care. Not that I want him to. I get frostbite just looking into Brance’s glacial stare. But there’s something undeniable about him.

Since my neighbor and his daughter moved in that stormy night, I’ve been trying to restore what was lost. I would do just about anything for those two. Acting as Nolan’s reliable doormat is getting old, though. Especially when he seems incapable of accepting love. Nolan Jasper has pushed me away for the last time. If only he would realize it before I’m already gone. USA Today and Amazon top 10 best-selling author Harloe Rae delivers a heartfelt romance featuring a jaded single father and the woman desperate to rescue him from the clutches of grief.

I didn’t expect to see Rylee Creed after her brother’s funeral. That’s the initial reason my jaw hangs slack when she walks into Bent Pedal a month later. The loss of my friend hit me hard, but that’s nothing compared to the crash she’s endured. Grief and misery still shadow her every move. But she’s not alone.

After my parents tried marrying me off to the wealthiest investor, I ditched their sheltered nest and set off with my own agenda. This summer is my chance to begin again. Fulfill the dreams that were previously ignored. The adventure starts at a secluded cabin in the middle of nowhere. That’s where I find him avoiding civilization. Nash Hudson is a broody recluse holding a major grudge. With stormy eyes and a perpetual scowl to match, his dark mood tries to steal my sunshine. I take his hostility personally, only to discover he doesn’t like anyone.

As if summoned by my dry spell, Mason Braxter makes a sudden reappearance in Meadow Creek. Six years have gone by, yet I can still remember every stupidly sculpted muscle on his body. How easy it would be to fall back into old habits. But I’m not that foolish girl anymore. That doesn’t deter my all-star ex from trying to prove we can do it right this time. For all his efforts, I might let him scratch my itch once. Maybe twice. Definitely not thrice.

Pine River was supposed to be a new start for me. And it was, especially attending school with my three overprotective cousins, who were the triplets at the top of the social hierarchy. Except they weren’t alone there, and the first day when I came to school, I saw him. Scout Raiden. Tall. Lean. Tattooed. Mesmerizing. He was a golden god with dark and piercing eyes—looking like he wanted to eat me up. The feeling was mutual, and that was a problem.

I should have known I was in trouble when I backed my old, beat-up truck into the shiny Range Rover. The driver looked like a gorgeous fallen angel–one who’d been booted right out of paradise for being a giant prick. Good thing I’ll never have to see him again.

First rule of being a nanny? Don’t fall for the single dad, even if he is smoking hot. But that’s exactly what happens when grumpy small-town sheriff Asher Whitlock reluctantly hires me to take care of his daughter for the summer. Neither of us is thrilled with the arrangement, but he’s desperate for help, and I need the money for grad school this fall.

Yes, I’m a single dad who needs a nanny for the summer. But hiring the stranded runaway bride who shows up on my doorstep in a wedding gown with no references, no skills, and no experience? No one is that desperate.

The headline says it all, and my bosses are over the moon when the opportunity of a lifetime lands in my lap. Of course, they aren’t aware that I’ve already met Vince Cool at an all-star gala—and that we were at each other’s throats the entire time.

Someone is stalking Audrey Young. And she has no idea why. Complicating matters is her landlord and new neighbor, Josiah Haven. She doesn’t usually go for the big, surly lumberjack type. But there’s something about that broody man. He intimidates her a little, but she kind of likes it. She could totally handle the mess that is her life, except the strange feeling of being watched is just the beginning. Next thing Audrey knows, she’s a target, and she doesn’t know who’s behind it or why. For Josiah Haven, none of that makes her his problem.