Hawthorne Brothers

He's a hot high school chemistry teacher living in a small town. She's a globetrotting journalist running from her past. They used to be best friends. Then one kiss changes everything. Kate Fletcher is my kryptonite. She's also my best friend. Former best friend? I'm not sure what you call it when we grew up attached at the hip and then she left Silver Creek (and me) to travel the world. The important thing is: Kate is back. (Temporarily.) And I'm still in love with her. (Permanently.) But something is different now. The attraction doesn't seem one-sided. I don't think I'm imagining the heat in Kate's eyes or the chemistry crackling between us. But will that be enough to keep Kate here, when, for as long as I can remember, all she's wanted to do is leave? I'm determined to give her a reason to stay. Family. Connection. Roots. And me. I'll have to start with sparks and fire, but if I take this step, there's no turning back to simple friendship. And if she doesn't feel the same way, I might lose her again-this time for good.

Perry Hawthorne is my boss. Only my boss. And I do NOT have a crush. When one of THE Hawthorne brothers-known by their chiseled jawlines and their family-run farm and event center-hires me to be his virtual assistant, I do everything I can to keep him firmly in the work zone. His grumpy demeanor helps. His smoking hot profile picture does not. But even if I do have a crush (a very tiny one), I can't catch real feelings for a million different reasons. Besides the whole business part of our relationship, I'm a single mom. I have to think about what's best for my son, Jack. And my grumpy, divorced, humorless boss isn't exactly giving me "ready to be a stepdad" vibes. When Perry upgrades me from virtual to in-person assistant, I wonder if I've gotten him all wrong. He's actually pretty great with Jack. And with me? Let's just say the chemistry crackling between us might vaporize all my reasons for keeping my distance. Trouble is, after his messy divorce, I'm not sure Perry's ready to bet on a new relationship. But it isn't just my heart that's on the line. And after everything we went through before my husband died, I'm not sure that's a gamble I'm ready to take.

How is it possible for the chemistry between two chefs to be hotter than a ghost pepper yet colder than liquid nitrogen? When THE Tatum Elliott shows up to run the catering kitchen at my family's farm and event center, I don't trust her any more than I did back in culinary school. But like it or not, she's here. On my territory. My turf. In the kitchen that shares a building with my farm-to-table restaurant. And she can't seem to keep her hands off my parmesan. Our old rivalry flares to life faster than a flambe, but there's something else flaming between us too. And it's heating up quicker than anything we're making in the kitchen. But I can't forget that Tatum is the daughter of Christopher Elliott-America's most famous chef. She belongs in a big city, in a restaurant with her name on it. Not running the catering arm of Stonebrook Farm. Whatever her reasons for being here now, I can't see her permanently walking away from the fame and fortune her father can offer her, no matter how well she fits in on the farm-how well she fits with me. She'll leave eventually-I'm sure of it. I just have to make sure that when she does, she doesn't take my heart with her.

He's Hollywood's biggest star. She wouldn't know him from the pizza delivery guy. I'm a wildlife biologist in a tiny mountain town, not some kind of law-breaking celebrity stalker. At least not on purpose. It was an accident when I wandered onto the property of one of Hollywood's hottest movie stars. Five minutes ago, I'd never even heard of Flint Hawthorne. I definitely didn't know he lives in Silver Creek. When I'm detained for trespassing, the last thing I expect is to trade my handcuffs for a designer gown. All I wanted was permission to conduct my research on a remote corner of his estate. Now I'm walking the red carpet of a Hollywood movie premiere as Flint's (very fake) girlfriend. At least, the relationship is supposed to be fake. But the way he slips his arm around me, his breath tickling my ear, the chemistry feels like something real. The trouble is, I'm not really built to handle his fast-paced celebrity life. Most days, I prefer the company of squirrels to people. I should be glad we're only pretending. I'm just not sure my heart got the memo.