The Garrison Girl

Tess Garrison has run Garrison Hardware since her father retired—the youngest business owner on Main Street and the only woman. She’s practical, funny, and quietly lonely in a town where the dating pool is a puddle. When Eli Brewer arrives from out of town and buys the vacant lot next to her store, Tess’s carefully maintained independence collides with something she didn’t plan for.

Eli has a buy the lot, build a mixed-use development, prove he can do small-scale work that matters. No complications. No attachments. Just good work in a town that needs it. But the woman next door with the steel-toed boots and the sharp wit wasn’t in the plans.

As construction begins, so does something neither of them can measure on a blueprint—a slow-burn partnership built on shared stakes, honest arguments, and the kind of trust that comes from building something real together. But when rumors threaten Eli’s project and Tess’s reputation, they’ll have to decide whether they’re building something temporary or laying a foundation that can hold the weight of two people choosing to stay.

Perfect for readers who love opposites attract, grumpy-sunshine dynamics, small-town charm, and sweet romance with emotional depth.

For fans of Debbie Macomber and Jenny Colgan.