Dangerous Devotion

r River cutting through its heart, the town was a paradox-a sanctuary for some, and a prison for others. It was the kin

elled of damp earth and pine, but the serenity outside did nothing to calm the turmoil that churned within her. Her life had always been tied to Rivergate, and

ood of the porch railing. She hadn't been home i

, Aidan, pulled her from her reverie. He leaned against the doorframe,

away from the fields, facing Aidan, who had grown taller in her absence, his features sharper, more defined. His e

." He glanced at her suitcase by the door, a silent reminder of her tr

ving him to care for their father as his illness worsened. She had been a coward, running

d to be," she answered, avoiding t

ler than she remembered, the memories of her childhood tugging at her heart as she wandered through the narrow hallway. Eve

sat abandoned on it, still steaming. She reached out and touched the edge of the table, her mind drifting bac

echoed through

was unexpected-James Hawthorne, the town's newly appointed sheriff. His broad shoulders filled the doorway, his dark hair tousled as i

re was an undercurrent of something unspoken

end a hand. But something had changed in him over the years. The easy charm was still there, but it was l

y despite the rush of emotions his presence tri

about your father. I'm sorry for your loss." He paused, glancing a

even now, after all these years, he remained an enigma. They had bee

his voice casual. "Thanks

turned to leave. As he walked away, his shadow stretched long across the porch,

n't realized she'd been holding. Aidan watched her

upted sharply. "Tha

she believed her own words. James had always been more than just

rifting back to the memories that threatened to surface. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the

listening to the whisper of the wind against the windowpane. She had thought she could come bac

he wasn't sure s