In a world hollowed out by sickness, two survivors learn that the hardest thing to trust is the chance at something real.
Cara O’Keefe has spent her whole life hidden deep in the woods, taught to rely on no one but herself. After the world falls, solitude becomes her armor—until three strangers stumble into her territory and shift the life she’s always known.
Jay Bennett never expected to want anything again. Scarred by loss and the weight of what he couldn’t save, he’s resigned himself to simply surviving. But Cara—fierce, capable, and unexpectedly gentle—awakens a longing he thought he’d buried with the old world.
As winter locks them together in Cara’s remote cabin, the unlikely group forms a fragile new family. And somewhere between shared chores, firelight, and quiet confessions, Jay and Cara find themselves drawn toward a connection neither knows how to navigate.
But survival is never secure.
With danger moving in the frozen woods and winter finally breaking, Jay and Cara must decide if love is worth the risk,
or if trusting each other is the most dangerous choice of all.
Mom of two, wife, and unapologetic Michigan native—born and raised with the Great Lakes in my veins. I’m proud to call the Upper Peninsula home, where the air is crisp, the people wave from their porches, and every season feels like its own adventure.