Blurb
Marcus, a Texas Ranger and my childhood friend, sweeps in to save me, putting his family's land on the line.
My life as a PI takes a wild turn, and I’m framed for embezzlement. Forced to live under his watchful eye, old desires resurface. When he takes a bullet for me, his confession of love leaves me reeling with guilt.
As false murder charges surface, Marcus and I share a forbidden kiss. With the world against us, he risks everything to protect me. Now, facing arrest, Marcus proposes a love deeper than friendship, leaving me torn between the past and an uncertain future.
Faced with accusations and gunfire, Marcus proves he’s not just my hero—he’s the love I never knew I needed. As the threats increase, Marcus vows to keep my son and me safe. But protecting us may cost everything, including our fledging love. Will we lose our chance for love before it's started?
Story Summary
Stephanie and Marcus go way back. Since the two of them shared many of the same classes in the small-town high school and they lived next door to each other, the two were old friends. Sparks had flown once between them, and they’d shared a kiss, but everything changed when Marcus just wanted to be friends. Stephanie left for college, coming back less than a year later, pregnant and engaged to be married. Nothing between the friends was ever the same again, but they learned to work with each other, Stephanie a PI and Marcus a Texas Ranger.
Flash forward a few years, and Stephanie is a divorced single mother to her six-year-old, Thomas, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Tony. Her PI business is booming, and Stephanie works on a particularly interesting case involving the embezzlement of public funds. She asks one too many questions, putting herself into the line of fire. She is framed for the very case she is working on, and Marcus comes to her rescue by posting her bond. He has to keep her close until they can figure out who is the real culprit. Stephanie thinks that it has something to do with Tony and the new mayor, but she needs proof. She goes to great lengths to get the proof that she needs, almost being caught in the midst. Marcus comes to her aid again, getting shot this time for his troubles.
Stephanie doesn’t know what to do, but Marcus stays by her side. She is later accused of something much worse, and Marcus puts his career on the line to help her escape arrest. It only lasts so long, and then Tony takes custody of Thomas and uses him to dictate what Stephanie does. Marcus can’t let that happen, and he puts his life on the line for Stephanie, setting Tony up on a wire his police friends were listening to. When the truth came out, Marcus and Stephanie were off the hook and the right people were put in jail.
Through it all, Stephanie and Marcus fell for each other, realizing that they were really more than just friends. Marcus asks Stephanie to marry him, and though she isn’t sure how it will turn out, Stephanie knows no one else will ever do. They get married, her ex-husband is sent to jail, and Marcus adopts her son in the epilogue.
Characters
Stephanie: Blonde hair, green eyes, 5 foot tall, freckled and curvy. She is one of 2 PIs in town and has lived next door since middle school from Marcus.
Marcus: Over six-foot tall, black hair, dark brown eyes and skin. He is a Texas Ranger and has a complicated relationship with Stephanie.
Thomas: Stephanie’s only son, six, has the same hair and eye coloring as his mother. Wears glasses like his father.
Tony: Stephanie’s ex-husband. Wears glasses, is a bit shy of six foot and is lanky. He has red hair and blue eyes. Has a scar on his cheek from a run-in early on in his criminal career. He hasn’t gotten over Stephanie and claims he will do anything to get her back. He cheated in the short marriage, so Stephanie isn’t interested in rekindling their relationship.
Tropes
- An Enemies to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Small Town
- Second Chance
- Single Mom
- Childhood Friend
- Next Door Neighbor
- Bodyguard
- Damsel in distress
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