Burning the Past (Southern Heat #3)

Amy Valenso had been to hell and back and survived. So why did she still shake at the thought of leaving Promise House for a simple walk to the park? There should be nothing to be afraid of, not anymore. That didn’t stop the dreams. Nightmares where she woke up gasping for breath. She’d been helpless, bound and gagged inside that shipping container. Sometimes it felt like she was still there. Her physical wounds had healed, but she was far from a complete recovery. It had been more than six months, but in her mind it was like yesterday. Would she ever find peace?

Dean Gibson has lived his entire life in Monroe. It was home, and he’d never wanted to live anywhere else. Especially since he’d met Amy. He’d first seen her standing on the sidewalk on the night of the fire at Promise House, and he couldn’t get her out of his mind since. Still, he’d kept a respectful distance. Something bad had happened to Amy, something bad enough that she barely left the shelter. Sloane encourages him to visit Amy, to get to know her better. Was it possible that Amy felt the same way? Over dinner, then coffee, slowly, but surely, she was opening up to him. But then the FBI arrives in town, shattering any sense of safety Amy had. The man who kidnapped her, branded her, and was about to sell her had escaped from jail, and he was heading their way.

Burning the Past is book 3 in the Southern Heat series, and can be read stand-alone. Characters from earlier books do appear as secondary characters.