Ashwick Fire & Rescue Series by Brynn Keller

I came to Ashwick to recover, not to want anything. Especially not a man. Declan Rhodes is steady, solid, and completely off-limits, a widowed single dad who volunteers at the firehouse and looks at me like he's already figured out things I haven't admitted to myself yet. He's quiet in the way that means something, and his voice does things to my concentration that I can't afford on a medical call. The problem is we keep ending up on the same calls... moreI came to Ashwick to recover, not to want anything. Especially not a man. Declan Rhodes is steady, solid, and completely off-limits, a widowed single dad who volunteers at the firehouse and looks at me like he's already figured out things I haven't admitted to myself yet. He's quiet in the way that means something, and his voice does things to my concentration that I can't afford on a medical call. The problem is we keep ending up on the same calls. Same unit, same emergencies, same parking lot at the end of a long shift where neither of us seems to be in a hurry to leave. His daughter draws my portrait. He takes my hand without making it a thing. And I start to wonder if running from the wrong life means I've been running straight toward the right one. Declan Rhodes is the most dangerous kind of man - the kind who makes you want to stay. Tropes: Single dad, forced proximity, instalove, he falls first, widower hero, small town romance, HEA guaranteed. less

I've lived in Ashwick my whole life. I know everyone, I love this town, and I've never once wondered if I was missing something. Until Roman Park walks into Cal's kitchen and ruins my lunch. He's a chef from Atlanta - intense, precise, and temporarily borrowing The Switchback's stove while he figures out his next move. His food is extraordinary. His hands are a problem. And the way he looks at me like I'm something worth understanding is the biggest problem of all. He came here to breathe... moreI've lived in Ashwick my whole life. I know everyone, I love this town, and I've never once wondered if I was missing something. Until Roman Park walks into Cal's kitchen and ruins my lunch. He's a chef from Atlanta - intense, precise, and temporarily borrowing The Switchback's stove while he figures out his next move. His food is extraordinary. His hands are a problem. And the way he looks at me like I'm something worth understanding is the biggest problem of all. He came here to breathe. I was supposed to stay out of his way. Instead I'm tasting everything he makes and telling him exactly what's wrong with it, and somewhere between the farmers market and a grease fire and one very honest conversation in a parking lot, I stop pretending I'm not in trouble. Roman says he's staying. I want to believe him. But I've watched people fall in love with this town and leave, and I'm not sure my heart can afford one more beautiful thing that doesn't last. Tropes: outsider/small-town girl, instalove, chef hero, forced proximity, he cooks for her, opposites attract, HEA guaranteed. less