I've always lived like nothing lasts, but she makes me believe in forever.

I built my gym with sweat and stubborn grit, and now I'm ready to expand. It's the biggest project I've ever taken on, and the first time I need the town to believe I can finish what I start.

The problem is, people in Hard Timber already think they know me. The Ex-List called me the man who never sticks... the guy who jumps in fast, burns bright, and walks away before the dust settles. And Rowan March, the town's rule-keeper with sharp eyes and an even sharper tongue, is the one person standing between me and the permits.

She doesn't soften when I smile. She doesn't bend when I push. She looks at me like I'm a wildfire that'll blaze hot and vanish.

She's wrong. This time I'm not walking away.

She wants every box checked and every line followed. I want to prove I'm more than a passing distraction. Because under all her control, I see the fire she won't let anyone touch. And once I've got her close enough to feel it, there's no turning back.

They say I won't stay. But I've found the one woman worth fighting for, and I intend to prove it—one step, one kiss, one promise at a time.

Hard Timber Mountain Men

Six names. One blog post. And a town full of flannel, grudges, and emotionally unavailable men who just got called out.

They said these men were cold. Untouchable. Heartbreaks waiting to happen. Now their names are plastered all over The Ex List—a brutal anonymous post that's got the whole town talking... and the women of Hard Timber watching.

The list was meant as a warning. Instead, it's daring these men to prove everyone wrong. Now the most untouchable bachelors in Hard Timber are under pressure—and under the spotlight.