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A river divides Cottonbloom in two: the upscale enclave on the Mississippi side and the rundown, rough and tumble side in Louisiana. They’re worlds apart—but nothing can build a bridge like love…
Cade Fournette never had it easy Cottonbloom. He stuck around long enough to raise his orphaned siblings and then hightailed it out West—and never looked back. Even though he’s made a success of himself in Seattle, Cade never lost the toughness and the angry edge that helped him survive down South. His only weak spot: the girl he left behind…
Monroe Kirby came from the wealthy side of town, but that didn’t protect her from her mother’s drinking—or her mother’s boyfriend. It was Cade who did that, on a long-ago hot September night, before he disappeared…along with a piece of her heart. Now Monroe is a physical therapist who can fight for herself, and it’s Cade who could use some conditioning when he makes an unexpected return back home. Will he and Monroe pick up where they left off and finally explore their mutual passion—or will the scars and secrets of the past divide them once more?
324 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published May 31, 2016
“I love you, Cade Fournette. Maybe I always have.”
“I’m not the same boy who came to your rescue.”
“I’m not the same girl who needs rescue. We’ve both changed, but you understand me like no one ever has. That much has stayed the same, hasn’t it?”








“I could take you right here, right now, with all the Tarwaters and all of crazy Cottonbloom a few rooms away. And I’d make it good, Monroe. I’d make your body sing. I’d make you beg before giving you everything you need. Then, you could walk back out into that damn party like nothing happened. No one would know the things you want to do in the dark with a poor, dirty boy from Louisiana.”

“- I grew up fast and tough.”
“- You were nice to me.”
“- Don’t fool yourself into thinking I’m nice. I wasn’t then, and I’m sure as hell not now.”
He pulled her braid, forcing her toward him, she didn’t fight him. He dropped his face next to hers, his coarse beard hair caressing her cheek, his mouth close to her ear. “ If I see something I want, I go after it and get it by any means necessary.”
“Her husky, sexy as hell near whisper shot through him lie lightning, setting all his muscles at alert. Was she flirting? Was he? And why the confirmation of her single status settled like a ball of warmth in his chest? What did it matter?

“ -You lied to me. You are wearing underwear.
-No. I said, ‘What if I’m not wearing underwear?’ And you shouldn’t be peeking. It’s shockingly unprofessional, Miss Kirby.”
“She brushed her lips against his. The hand in her hair clamped tighter, holding her in place. The slight tug sent pleasure to every nerve in her body.
– ‘What are we doing?’ His lips moved against hers.
– ‘I’m trying to kiss you, and you’re sitting here like a bump on a log.’ ”
“His gentleness only threw tinder on the fire, making her frantic for more. More of his mouth on hers, his hands on her body, his body over hers, easing her ache. More of everything.”




“I’ve loved you since I was thirteen. Three days won’t change that. Nothing will.”
"I love the fact you look all sweet and innocent yet detonate in my arms."
"I thought about it. Thought about you."
"I thought about you, too." She moved next to him, laying her head on his chest, and he closed his eyes. "I used to pretend my pillow was you and practice kissing it. Mostly, though, I would just hug it and pretend you were hugging me back."