Fragile Hopes

Ivy Farnsworth is twenty-six and has spent three years living in the city. She never planned to move back to Harmony Hills, yet she returns as the legal guardian of her sixteen-year-old brother, Joe. She takes on two jobs to keep the household running.

Joe wants to become a pilot, and Ivy is determined to give him that chance, even if her own plans have to wait. A romance is the last thing she has room for.

Then there is Ford Hayes, the firefighter who lives next door. His divorce was messy, and he keeps people at a distance. He has no wish to try love again.

Ivy's quick wit, steady strength and optimism slowly wear down his defences. For her part, Ivy has always looked after everyone else, and Ford is the first person who turns up for her.

The small-town romance carries an age gap, a slow-burn build and open spice. Their friendship deepens gradually into something more, and the book turns on whether two people marked by their pasts will risk their hearts anyway.