Slow burn. Second chance. Seventeen years of wanting.

Jake has been in love with Harlow since they were kids. He never said a word. Then she left Collins, Colorado, married someone who didn't deserve her, and disappeared from his life entirely.

Now she's back — quieter than she used to be, rebuilding herself through her art (her paint tubes have opinions, loud ones) — and Jake finally has his chance. If he can manage not to completely blow it.

The Victorian house they're restoring together may or may not be sentient. The town's retirees run a surveillance operation that would impress the CIA. And the peacocks are tactical.

Think Pippa Grant meets first responder romance — big laughs, bigger feelings, and a healing journey that doesn't rush toward its ending.

Tropes: slow burn • second chance • small town • firefighter hero • forced proximity • healing from past abuse • community meddling
| ~80,000 words | Standalone with series potential
⚠️ Content note: references to past emotional abuse