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Hard Start
Cal Bennett fixes things. Cars, mostly. Also his sister's leaky faucet, his niece's lacrosse equipment, and the occasional existential crisis at his late father's auto shop. What he doesn't fix? His own love life. That would require actually having one.
Reagan Ellis didn't move to Foxmeadow to find a man. She moved to disappear. Former Division II Coach of the Year, current youth lacrosse wrangler, full-time single mom to a daughter who's already plotting her social life. Reagan's got walls so high they'd need a permit, and she's not apologizing for any of them.
Then the team van dies a dramatic death in the parking lot, and suddenly the mechanic with the vintage truck and the annoyingly patient smile is everywhere. Fixing her van. Charming her daughter. Making her laugh when she'd rather be scowling. Showing up exactly when he says he will, which is honestly just rude.
Cal's not pushing. He's just... there. With good coffee and better timing and the kind of steadiness that makes Reagan want to throw something or kiss him. Possibly both. Probably both.
Their daughters are already best friends. His niece is already team-building. The town is already talking. And Reagan is already in way deeper than she planned to be when a job offer from her past threatens to unravel everything she didn't realize she was building.
Hard Start is what happens when a woman who's done trusting meets a man who's willing to wait—with banter sharp enough to cut glass, chemistry hot enough to steam up a garage, and a found family that includes one very opinionated ten-year-old with a clipboard.
Fair Contains a hero who thinks bad carburetor jokes are peak comedy, a heroine who will absolutely call him on it, and a workbench scene that proves some repairs require hands-on attention.
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ For mature readers. Doors wide open.
Reagan Ellis didn't move to Foxmeadow to find a man. She moved to disappear. Former Division II Coach of the Year, current youth lacrosse wrangler, full-time single mom to a daughter who's already plotting her social life. Reagan's got walls so high they'd need a permit, and she's not apologizing for any of them.
Then the team van dies a dramatic death in the parking lot, and suddenly the mechanic with the vintage truck and the annoyingly patient smile is everywhere. Fixing her van. Charming her daughter. Making her laugh when she'd rather be scowling. Showing up exactly when he says he will, which is honestly just rude.
Cal's not pushing. He's just... there. With good coffee and better timing and the kind of steadiness that makes Reagan want to throw something or kiss him. Possibly both. Probably both.
Their daughters are already best friends. His niece is already team-building. The town is already talking. And Reagan is already in way deeper than she planned to be when a job offer from her past threatens to unravel everything she didn't realize she was building.
Hard Start is what happens when a woman who's done trusting meets a man who's willing to wait—with banter sharp enough to cut glass, chemistry hot enough to steam up a garage, and a found family that includes one very opinionated ten-year-old with a clipboard.
Fair Contains a hero who thinks bad carburetor jokes are peak comedy, a heroine who will absolutely call him on it, and a workbench scene that proves some repairs require hands-on attention.
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ For mature readers. Doors wide open.
161 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 10, 2026
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