My plan was fly to Vermont, sketch the sad beauty of my family’s decaying farm, and escape before the first snow.This small-town trip was just another subject to capture and forget.
But the farm’s porch is a structural failure, and the grumpy carpenter hired to fix it is a walking indictment of my entire life. Evan Carter doesn’t do patch jobs. He builds things to last, and he sees the rot I’ve spent a decade painting over.
He’s infuriating, steady, and solid as the foundation he insists we rebuild. He’s everything I’ve run from. But as the autumn chill sets in, his quiet competence starts to feel less like a cage and more like the only home I’ve ever known.
My ambition has always been my compass, but what happens when it points me toward a future in Paris, and my heart refuses to leave this broken-down porch in Vermont?
Willow’s an artist who’s always running, never settling anywhere long enough to grow roots. She comes back to Haywood to create a sketch of her family’s dying farm. What she doesn’t expect is Evan — the calm, steady, blue-collar carpenter who shows up at her family home to handle some much needed repairs. He’s patient, grounded, and somehow gets under her skin in all the best ways.
Their slow burn, enemies to lovers thing was so fun to watch unfold. There’s tension, heart, and that quiet chemistry that sneaks up on you. Willow swears she’s not staying in Haywood — especially when her dream opportunity in Paris finally comes through — but Evan and this little town might have other plans.
Ohhhhhh and let’s not forget the family chaos. The farm was saved in An Unexpected Harvest? Yeah, that happy ending just hit a major bump in the road. 🫣
It’s sweet, a little messy, full of family drama and fall vibes. Perfect for a cozy weekend read.