A Navy SEAL turned mountain man. A runaway teacher with a soft heart. Neither of them expected to fall in love—but fate has other plans.

Max Bannon came to Fraiser Mountain to disappear. After losing everything—including the woman he loved—he found peace in solitude, fixing up his old bed-and-breakfast and helping others quietly, from the sidelines.

Enter Tessa Swindle: the new fourth-grade teacher with a heart too big for her own good—and a knack for losing her shoes, her keys, and Max’s sense of calm. She’s only supposed to be staying a little while, just until her cabin’s ready… but Max can’t...

A Navy SEAL turned mountain man. A runaway teacher with a soft heart. Neither of them expected to fall in love—but fate has other plans.

Max Bannon came to Fraiser Mountain to disappear. After losing everything—including the woman he loved—he found peace in solitude, fixing up his old bed-and-breakfast and helping others quietly, from the sidelines.

Enter Tessa Swindle: the new fourth-grade teacher with a heart too big for her own good—and a knack for losing her shoes, her keys, and Max’s sense of calm. She’s only supposed to be staying a little while, just until her cabin’s ready… but Max can’t stop watching her dance barefoot through his kitchen or hum to herself while scrubbing the porch.

He tells himself it’s temporary. That she’ll move out and he’ll move on.

But then she smiles at him like he’s still worth loving—and everything changes.

When danger from Tessa’s past finds its way to the mountain, Max will have to fight harder than ever to protect what’s his.

A story of second chances, slow-burning passion, and one Navy SEAL who discovers that sometimes… home is a person.