New Release: Bayside Dreams (The Hunters)

All of her dreams just went up in flames.

Cassidy’s entire life was wrapped up in her business boarding and caring for pets — that is, until the night it burned down.

Shale never expected to find love again, especially with a stubborn woman running into the flames. Ever since his wife died, he’s avoided emotion like the plague, but there’s something about the annoying stranger that makes him want to know more.

Cassidy has physical and emotional scars from the night she lost everything. Whenever she looks in the mirror, she’s reminded that nobody could ever love her the way she now looks… except there’s no denying the way the gorgeous firefighter keeps finding reasons to be around her.

But the hidden scars each holds close to their hearts are their biggest obstacles. If they can’t overcome what’s holding them back, they’ll lose each other forever.

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Excerpt

Cassidy Jones rolled over and pulled the blankets over her head, willing the phone to stop playing the cheerful song. Whatever it was could wait until morning. It had been a long, trying week, and her body ached. The few hours’ sleep she’d already gotten only made her more exhausted.

The song stopped. Finally.

She removed the covers from her ears and started to drift off.

The song played again.

Cassidy groaned and reluctantly felt around the headboard for her phone. Two-thirty-three. In the morning. It was Audrey Hunter from the doggie boarding house. What on earth could she need at this hour?

Maybe it was an emergency.

She bolted upright and accepted the call. “Audrey? What’s going on?”

“There’s a fire!”

“What? Where?” Cassidy’s heart nearly exploded out of her chest.

“In the doggy daycare building!”

The bedroom spun around her. Images of the blaze that took her parents from her flashed through her mind like a rapid-fire assault. She clung to the blankets and struggled to breathe. “What did you say?”

“I’ll meet you there!”

Cassidy scrambled out of bed, gasping for air. “How’d you hear about it?”

“Shale called Logan.”

“Who’s Shale?” Not that it mattered. The only thing that mattered was getting to her business.

“Logan’s brother—the firefighter. He knows I work there. Hurry!” Audrey ended the call.

Cassidy could hardly think straight as she threw on some clothes without even paying attention to whether they matched. Her business was on fire. Everything she’d worked so hard for—she’d put her all into it. Heart, mind, soul, time, money, and energy.

Thankfully, the boarding house on the other side wasn’t on fire. She housed a lot of pets on any given day. The daycare building was on the other side of the property and vacant at night.

Her heart felt like it would give out as she stumbled around the house and finally made it to her car. It took three tries to start the ignition because her hand shook so hard.

Cassidy panted and tried to focus. She needed to pull herself together, at least enough to make the short drive. Thankfully, Enchantment Bay was a pretty small town, so she didn’t have far to go. She also had insurance. The building could be replaced—as much of a nightmare as that would be. The important thing? No animals or employees would be hurt if the flames stayed away from the boarding building.

What could’ve started the fire? She kept her buildings up to code and had regulations in place to make sure any potential hazards were checked routinely and fixed immediately.

Maybe it was that new girl. She’d only been there two weeks. What if she hadn’t been doing her job properly? Or what if something had gone wrong with the wiring? That wasn’t something Cassidy knew anything about.

The glow of the flames came into view before she pulled onto the road to the building.

Her heart nearly gave out. The fire was that bad?

What if it did spread to the boarding house? Would they be able to get the animals out? There was less staff overnight, but someone was always there. Maybe Audrey was already there, helping to bring the pets out to safety.

She prayed silently as she made her way toward her beloved business. The entrance was blocked with yellow tape. Onlookers gathered around the sidewalk.

Cassidy parked on the side of the road and raced out of the car past the small crowd. She started to go under the yellow tape when a tall firefighter blocked her and pointed to the tape. “That’s to keep you out.” He spoke with a deep, commanding voice. “You need to stay out there.”

“I own this place!” She reached for her purse, but in her haste, she’d left it at home. Not good considering the speed limits she’d broken on the way over. And not only that, she couldn’t prove her ownership.

The firefighter didn’t budge. “You have ID? I can’t let just anyone in.”

Her stomach twisted, her mind raced.

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