The morning sun spilled through the forest canopy, casting golden stripes across Jack Johnson’s workbench as he shaved down a slab of walnut wood. The scent of cedar, sweat, and sawdust lingered in the air like musk—thick and earthy. Jack’s…
Her name was Miranda Blake. Forty-one. A stunning woman with a smoky voice, soft laugh, and curves that made heads turn even when she wasn’t trying. She was the kind of woman who walked with the confidence of someone who knew…
The summer sun was high over Timber Hollow, pouring golden light over dusty pickup trucks, porch swings, and the faint scent of cedarwood from the sawmill drifting down Main Street. Jack Johnson, all six-foot-five of him, stood outside the hardware…
The house was quiet. Too quiet. Maddie lay on her back in the center of her massive bed, arms above her head, golden hair spilling like liquid sunlight across the silk pillows. A light summer breeze whispered through the open…
It started with a key. A simple brass key, left on Maddie’s pillow after her shower. No note. No ribbon. Just gleaming there, catching the light. But Maddie knew exactly what it meant. She didn’t ask Vanessa. She didn’t show Graham. She…