There was a sense of unreality to the morning. It was ten years to the day that they’d been rescued by the Delta Team, and sent home from Afghanistan, broken and bruised in so many ways. It seems only appropriate that Olivia is involved in a devastating automobile crash. Sure. Why not? Seems appropriate for her life. She’s injured, but she fights through the pain to rescue as many people as she can. In the midst of the drama, she meets a firefighter who sweeps her off her feet, so to speak. Fire Chief Connor Kelly is more than just a pretty set of abs. He doesn't have time for a new relationship because the Lockhart BBQ Fest is going on, but something draws him to Olivia. She has strength of heart, something he admires, and it isn't long until he's wondering if he can persuade her to stay in Lockhart. She’s afraid that he’s with her out of pity, because of her amputation, but it doesn’t seem to bother him. They both serve the community and it isn’t until things start to get serious that they realize they have a tragic connection. ** There is a potential trigger in a scene in the beginning of the book depicting a sexual attack that some readers may find offensive.
Rex is done with the nurse stereotype. He loves his job and makes no apologies for it. When he’s set up on a blind date with a cop, he doesn’t expect it to go well. Good thing he didn’t make that bet. When his blind date walks in, something inside of Rex stirs. He’s… entranced. Maybe it’s a familiarity thing, because she helped him out of a flashback weeks before when he was involved in a robbery. Or maybe it’s just her calm spirit. Despite having low expectations for the date, he knows he wants more time with her. Lauren understands firsthand how people can be quick to judge based on stereotypes, so it’s refreshing to talk to someone who gets it. But while Rex seems like a great person, she can’t help but sense a darkness lingering beneath the surface—shadows that whisper of tragedy and pain. He is kind-hearted and willing to put others before himself, but Lauren wonders if he will ever fight for his own happiness.
Detective Landon Hunter didn’t want or need entanglements, but something about Baylee Mitchell tugs at him when he sees her in the hallway of his apartment building. She wears a vicious scar on her beautiful face like a badge, and it spikes his anger. Who injured her like that? When he responds to a mass shooting at a hospital, he doesn’t expect to find his neighbor is the hero of the night. She protected everyone in the emergency department, despite the danger to herself. He’s intrigued, but she gives him the cold shoulder. Baylee Mitchell has lived through hell, and it’s taken her a long time to recover. The detective assigned to her case reminds her that she is more than just a nurse. She’s also a woman. She’s tamped down that side of herself for a long time, though, and it’s a shock when it comes roaring back to life. But danger lurks in the shadows, threatening to engulf them both. Landon and Baylee must survive an enemy bent on revenge. As well as their own demons… WARNING : This book contains subject matter that may be sensitive for some readers. This story comes with triggering content. Please read the Author Note at the beginning of the book.