Wayward Sons

I've lived with the stares, whispers, and hateful accusations of small-town gossips for years. Being the sister of the town pariah comes with consequences. But when the petty harassment turns darker, more drastic measures are required. I just didn't expect those measures to include my former high school crush-the golden boy turned smoking hot firefighter-offering protection… as my boyfriend. Are we just pretending, or is this becoming something real? And can it survive the string of arsons that threaten us both?

Ford Donoghue broke my heart a decade ago. And no matter how hard I tried, I was never really over it. I perfected the art of ignoring him whenever he came home to Hatterwick Island-cold shoulders, polite smiles, and walls a mile high. It worked. Until the day his thirteen-year-old daughter walked into my bar, scared and looking for a father she's never met. One phone call later, Ford's back in Hatterwick. And so are all the feelings I swore I'd buried. But this isn't about us. At least, it wasn't supposed to be. When a body washes up on the beach, the whole island goes on edge. And when strange things start happening around Peyton, it's impossible not to wonder if her late mother's secrets are still casting shadows. The more we dig, the more tangled the truth becomes. And if we're wrong about where the danger's coming from, the girl who brought us back together might be the one who pays the price.

The last person I expect-or want-to take shelter with as a hurricane bears down on Hatterwick Island is Daniel LaRue-the man who broke my heart barely three months ago. I'm not looking for distractions. The clinic's been targeted by thieves. The island's locked down tight against the storm. And Daniel-hot Coast Guardsman, bad decision, walking heartbreak-is the last thing I need complicating my life again. Coming back to the Outer Banks after med school was supposed to be a fresh start. For a while, I thought maybe I'd bring him with me. Until he accepted a promotion across the country without even telling me. It turned out he was more of a situationship than anything real. Except now he's standing on my doorstep, insisting he's here for me-and refusing to leave when everything in me screams to slam the door in his face. Stranded together, we have no choice but to face the storm-and the feelings I thought I'd buried. But as the hours tick by, it's clear Daniel isn't telling me everything. And on Hatterwick Island, secrets always come with a price.

I built my life on my belief in justice. Until the day the system proved me wrong. Now I'm back on Hatterwick Island with nothing left-no career, no credibility, and no illusions about the law I once trusted. The only thing heavier than the guilt I carry is knowing I once turned my back on a man who didn't deserve it. Rios Carrera. Thirteen years ago, my cousin disappeared, and he was the last one to see her alive. I believed the whispers that he was responsible. I made him the villain of the story-and he has every reason to hate me for it. But when a graduate student vanishes and the police insist she left of her own accord, Rios is the only one willing to look deeper. What starts as a search for the truth drags us into something darker than either of us imagined. Reluctant allies become something far more dangerous. Because the closer we get to uncovering what's been buried on this island for decades, the more I realize justice isn't black and white…and the man I once condemned may be the only one I can trust with my life-and my heart.