The Ice Between us

<p><strong>I only planned to stay in Willow Cove long enough to outrun the mess I made of my life. </strong></p><p></p><p>A quiet winter a new job a chance to finally breathe again. What I did not plan on was him-Jon Paul Hayes. The hometown hero with a bruised heart a stubborn streak a mile wide and a talent for getting under my skin from the moment I stepped into The Willow Bean Café.</p><p></p><p>We start as friction. Cold fronts clashing. Every conversation turns into a storm I swear I am not strong enough to stand in.</p><p>But then the walls between us begin to thaw.</p><p></p><p>It happens in the quiet moments. A repaired fence line. Shared coffee before sunrise. The way he looks at me like he sees more than the careful put-together version of myself I try to show this town.</p><p></p><p>And the more I try to stay distant the more this place-and this man-pull me in.</p><p></p><p>I came to Willow Cove to escape my past.</p><p></p><p>I never expected to find the one person capable of helping me face it... or the future I never believed I deserved.</p>