Aster Carrington wasn’t sure she’d ever return to Starlight Grove—the town that broke her trust and destroyed everything she once believed in. But when her grandfather needed help on the ranch, the therapist known for helping others heal had no choice but to face the ghosts she buried long ago. What she never expected was the man she once loved waiting in the shadows for all these years…and that marrying him might be the only thing to keep her and her beloved ranch safe.

Maverick Archer has built a life in the flames: smokejumper, firefighter, adrenaline junkie. Anything to outrun the shadows of his family’s violent legacy and the grief of losing the only girl he’s ever loved. But when Aster surges back into his life, the fire he’s fought to snuff out roars back to flame. Only this time, the danger isn’t just in his blood. It’s coming for her.

As long-buried secrets surface, and a killer’s obsession threatens to destroy everything they’ve rebuilt, Aster and Mav must decide if some scars are reminders of survival or warnings of a past that refuses to stay buried.

---------------------------------

• Marriage of convenience
• Second-chance romance
• Protective firefighter hero
• Small-town romance
• Ranch setting
• First love reunited
• He'll do anything to protect her
• Romantic suspense
• Emotional healing and buried secrets

---------------------------------

---------------------------------

‘Catherine is just a master in suspense and you just never know who the villain is going to be and I love that!!!’ ????? Reader Review

‘Catherine did it again! Everything she writes, I eat up, and I can never put her books down.’ ????? Reader Review

‘Catherine you are the master of plot twists’ ????? Reader Review

‘Catherine Cowles always knows how to put my emotions through the wringer.’ ????? Reader Review

‘One of the best things that could have happened to me, is entering my Catherine Cowles era in 2026’ ????? Reader Review

‘Catherine has become an author I’ll recommend over and over again.’ ????? Reader Review