Emerald Creek Series by Bella Rivers

Christopher Wright is Emerald Creek’s hot, broody, single dad baker. And my totally off-limits boss.The fine print of my baking apprenticeship contract neglected to mention a few key details. Like how hot the master baker would be. Or that he’d be really good with his hands, and not just in the bakery. Oh and that part about “room and board”? A bedroom way too close to his, and him cooking for me and his daughter every night... moreChristopher Wright is Emerald Creek’s hot, broody, single dad baker. And my totally off-limits boss.The fine print of my baking apprenticeship contract neglected to mention a few key details. Like how hot the master baker would be. Or that he’d be really good with his hands, and not just in the bakery. Oh and that part about “room and board”? A bedroom way too close to his, and him cooking for me and his daughter every night.I'm here to secure my inheritance: my late grandmother's sprawling empire of industrial bakeries. She never loved me, but she was the only family I had. Despite her coldness, inheriting her legacy is my last chance to find a sense of belonging.But as my relationship with Christopher grows, my focus shifts.This single man. His little girl. The small town they live in and the new friends that treat me like family.All this feels more like home than I’ve ever known.Until Christopher catches onto the real reasons I’m here. less

ChloeHe’s Emerald Creek’s hot, wounded, and emotionally unavailable pub owner. My unforgettable one-night-stand with a stranger. And now, my business rival.I should be able to handle that, right?After all, I’m the strong woman who totally survived losing her job, being kicked out of her apartment, and finding her boyfriend in bed with another woman–all in one day.What else could go wrong?Meeting the perfect man, and having to walk away from him... moreChloeHe’s Emerald Creek’s hot, wounded, and emotionally unavailable pub owner. My unforgettable one-night-stand with a stranger. And now, my business rival.I should be able to handle that, right?After all, I’m the strong woman who totally survived losing her job, being kicked out of her apartment, and finding her boyfriend in bed with another woman–all in one day.What else could go wrong?Meeting the perfect man, and having to walk away from him.I keep my promise and slip out in the morning, never to see him again–until my cousins beg me to run their family’s restaurant after my uncle suddenly dies, and he’s the next-door pub owner.Except now he inexplicably hates me, and wants me gone.But this job is all I have.I’m not going anywhere.JustinWe had a deal: One night, no names, no numbers. She was smart, sexy, and beautiful-–the worst kind of trouble.The mysterious woman I cradled through the night could have been the one, if I were that type of guy. The one I could change for. But I like it fine just the way I am. So when morning comes and she’s gone, I’m both devastated and relieved.Until she appears in my hometown, on my doorstep, causing trouble to my business. She doesn’t seem to know it, but there’s literal bad blood between our families. I need her gone.But everyone in Emerald Creek thinks differently, and even my dog plays matchmaker.Falling for the enemy has never been so tempting. less

Two broken hearts. Ten years apart. Can one small town bring them back together?Ten years in the military might have changed me, but it didn’t change the reasons I left EmeraldCreek. Back for a short visit to my family after a decade away, I’ll do everything to keep my staypainless.It will be short.There will be no trips down memory lane.There will be little to no reconnecting with locals.One thing is I won’t run into the girl who broke my heart. She’s long gone, married away.Or so I thought... moreTwo broken hearts. Ten years apart. Can one small town bring them back together?Ten years in the military might have changed me, but it didn’t change the reasons I left EmeraldCreek. Back for a short visit to my family after a decade away, I’ll do everything to keep my staypainless.It will be short.There will be no trips down memory lane.There will be little to no reconnecting with locals.One thing is I won’t run into the girl who broke my heart. She’s long gone, married away.Or so I thought.All it takes is a pulled muscle, a massage tent at the town fair, and some not-so-subtleinterventions from my friends for me to suddenly be alone with her—with me flat on my back on themassage table and her kneading me like I’m a stranger. Like what we had back then meant nothing to her.She won’t even talk to me? Fine. I’m ready to bolt anyway.But when the townies engineer another close encounter and I find out what she’s trying to hidefrom me, it’s Operation Get Her Back. less

They didn’t plan the kiss. Or anything that followed.ColtonWhen I kissed my best friend to shut up her judgmental family, I didn’t expect her to melt in my arms.Kiss me back.Hold me tight.I thought she didn’t feel for me the way I do, but this changes everything.Our friendship started the day I found her sleeping in her car, fresh off a betrayal that should’ve broken her. I cracked her protective shell and helped her start over. Now she’s become a part of me... moreThey didn’t plan the kiss. Or anything that followed.ColtonWhen I kissed my best friend to shut up her judgmental family, I didn’t expect her to melt in my arms.Kiss me back.Hold me tight.I thought she didn’t feel for me the way I do, but this changes everything.Our friendship started the day I found her sleeping in her car, fresh off a betrayal that should’ve broken her. I cracked her protective shell and helped her start over. Now she’s become a part of me.It’s simple: this kiss is the beginning of our forever.But nothing with Kiara is simple. Not the wounds from her past. Not her struggles to succeed as a pastry chef. Not the reasons she fights her battles on her own.She turns me down? Fine. I’ll wait.She starts swiping right on other men? Absolutely not.Kiara doesn’t know it yet, but she’s already mine. KiaraThis fake kiss wasn’t supposed to leave me breathless, aching for more, and wondering what if. Because Colton Harper doesn’t do anything halfway. Not kissing, not pretending, and definitely not loving.Now he wants to date for real, but I’m terrified.I built a new life in Emerald Creek, made friends who are my new family. Colton is my rock, and changing our friendship to dating could lead to losing everything.I’ve seen how love ends, and I won’t let that happen to us.He’s relentless though, so I cave in. He can be my first. Just once. No expectations. No heartbreak.When he refuses, I’m left with no choice but to swallow my disappointment and move on.But Colton can be very persuasive. less

The fifth book in the Emerald Creek series features Willow and Noah.