Maddie couldn’t stop thinking about it. The greenhouse. The warm, wet air. The press of moss and candlelight. The way Cole had taken his time with her, claimed her in secret, left her aching in all the best ways. Her…

The air was thick with the scent of pine, smoke, and sweat. The firepit in the clearing behind the old Elk Ridge Tavern roared tall, crackling and spitting embers into the starlit sky. Cars and trucks were parked haphazardly around…

The morning sun spilled through the gauzy curtains of the Hartleys’ guest bedroom, catching in Maddie’s tousled blonde hair as she stretched languidly in bed. Her body still thrummed with the electricity of the night before—Carter’s raw desire, Vanessa’s commanding…

The late-afternoon sun filtered in through the dusty windows of the general store, casting golden streaks over the rows of canned goods, hardware supplies, and handmade trinkets from locals. Jack Johnson—broad-shouldered and glowing with his usual mix of sawdust, sweat,…

Maddie had drifted between wakefulness and sleep for hours. Ever since she’d shut the door on Vanessa and Graham outside her room, her skin had felt electrified—every nerve ending alive, humming. She’d tried counting breathing exercises. Tried focusing on the…