An Alpha Mountain Man Romance I’m not Mr. Settle-Down-and-Start-a-Family. Tried it. Failed at it. Don’t want it again. I like my solitary life in the mountains. I mind my business and I keep to myself. I learned the hard way that life ain’t easy or fair. One minute you think you’ve got it all figured out and the next, you find your wife in your bed with your own best friend. Then Quinn Prescott shows up to rent the lower level of my cabin. Sweet, innocent Quinn with her persistent attempts to get to know me and her constant questions. Those big doe eyes have a story behind them. She wants more than just a casual hookup and she deserves more. But I’m not the man who can give it to her, and the quicker she understands that, the better. I tell myself just one small touch. One lingering glance into her piercing blue eyes. One taste of her sweet, pouty lips. But it’s not just once, it’s an all-consuming desire to claim her, to make her mine. I can feel myself losing grip on the situation but I don’t care. Then my ex shows up with a baby, claiming it’s mine and reminding me why I live by the rules that I do. Only it’s too late, I’ve let Quinn in and now she’s carrying a secret of her own. No matter how many times I try to lie to myself, this thing between us isn’t just lust—it’s something so much more and it’s something I’m about to lose forever.

The last time I saw Landon Nash, he was leaving town with a target on his back and my heart in his hands. Fifteen years later, fate brought him back into town and stupidity brought him back into my bed. It’s hard not to admit that life is passing me by. It seems like all of my friends boarded the happily ever after train and somehow, I was left twiddling my thumbs when it left the station. Still pinning for the same man who broke my heart. Landon and I weren’t just high school sweethearts. He was it for me, my twin flame. My everything. So when he skipped town with only a note, it was like time stood still for me from that day forward. But now he’s back and the mysteries surrounding his disappearance are no clearer. It feels like everyone in this dead-end town knows something I don't. My brothers still hate him. I still love him. I’m pretty sure there’s some cliché phrase about history repeating itself when it comes to love but clearly, I never listened. I thought he was my second chance at forever. I thought he wouldn't break my heart all over again. Instead, I mistook all the warning signs for butterflies.

I was eight years old when I fell in love with August Belmore. Eighteen the first time our lips touched. Thirty-three when I became the bastard that broke her heart. The trail of my fingertips across her warm skin. Secret rendezvous in my truck. My name tumbling from her lips. Now, I’m only left with the haunting memories of what could have been. Just one more touch, one more taste—but it was never enough. She wasn’t just a drug, she was an addiction that I didn’t want to get over. We’ve done this flirting dance for years. But every time we crossed the line, I left no trace of ever being there. Trust me, it wasn’t the passion and desire we couldn’t get right, we nailed that down over and over again. It was everything in between, all the important stuff. But somewhere between stolen kisses in parking lots and drunken confessions about the things we wanted to do to each other…I became consumed with the lie that she’d always be there. That this fantasy we’d built wouldn’t crumble. By the time I realize what’s been in front of me this entire time, it’s too late. Another man’s ring is on her finger. And I’m left waking up to my worst nightmare—that I’ve lost her forever.

Small town doctor. Big time heart break. What happens when the man you hate becomes the father of your baby? Falling for Grant Rossi has disaster written all over it—for several reasons. First, he’s a self-entitled asshole. Second, he blames me for his last relationship imploding. (Which for the record, it wasn’t my fault). Third, when that man speaks, my body melts into a puddle of goo. It started when I stupidly agreed to go on one date with him. That then ended up with one night in his bed. The shower. The counter. A pilates machine. I knew better than to fall for his filthy talking antics, but my body craved him in ways even I don’t understand. If only that’s where the disaster ended… He got me pregnant. I fell in love. We both experienced a loss so great we only had each other to hold on to. Then piece by piece, he put my heart back together…only to turn around and destroy it.

I’ve dedicated my life to saving others, but I couldn’t save my family. After losing my wife and unborn daughter both in a matter of seconds, I was done with it all: love, happily ever after, a family. Then I met her—Stephanie Hartman. 5’10” of pure perfection. For over a year I’ve sat back and watched her tend bar at my local watering hole. I’ve witnessed the way she cares for others. The way she listens to their sob stories. The sincere smile she offers them when they break down after a few too many. I’ve even stolen a few flirty moments of her time. A wink here, a lingering glance there—The connection was instant. The chemistry between us could melt diamonds. I tried to resist. Told myself she deserves more than a broken man. But neither of us wanted to fight it any longer, so I gave in…we both did. The moment my lips tasted her I was done and she was mine. She made me come alive. She made me feel things I thought had died years ago. But there’s something lurking behind her beautiful eyes and I’ll be dammed if I let it destroy us before we even get a chance. Just when it seems we finally got it right. He shows up and drags her back to Wyoming with threats of ruining her life. He’s not just a bitter ex, he’s a dangerous felon with a secret so dark and a sheriff in his pocket, he’s willing to kill to keep it safe. She’s made it more than clear though: she doesn’t need saving. But I’m a firefighter and when I see danger approaching, instinct kicks in. I don’t have a choice. I lost everything once before, I won’t lose her too. But the harder I try to save her, the more it seems like she’s slipping away. Maybe after everything that life has put her through, I’m not the man she needs. Even if I lose her. Even if she chooses him. Even if this is all I’ll ever have with her. She was worth it.