Afterburn

 Scott Pataki became an EMT to save lives, but ten years later, the stress of his job is killing him. He’s counting down to his escape from San Amaro Island to work on a cruise ship. Estranged from his family, there’s nothing holding him back. But when his big move is only a month away, the half sister he never wanted to meet, and her bulldog advocate, Mercedes, crash into his life.

Mercedes Stone is a sucker for underdogs and lost souls. Though she’s drowning in responsibilities as a caretaker, business owner, and volunteer, she can’t ignore a homeless teenager’s plight. She’ll do anything to help her, including lock horns with Scott, the troubled but tempting half brother the girl’s determined to bond with. It doesn’t take Mercedes long to see he’s not the heartless jerk he wants everyone to believe he is.

Scott feels his hardened heart softening, but he fights it, knowing he’s the dark cloud to Mercedes’ bright sunshine. Will he chase the peace he craves or figure out the best way to weather any storm is together?

Becoming an ER doctor is the second hardest thing Rachel Culver has ever done. The hardest was losing her beloved twin sister two years ago. As a medical resident living far from her family, Rachel was able to keep her grief at a distance. But now that she’s back on San Amaro Island, there’s no avoiding her anguish…or her guilty secret.

Cale Jackson is a rescuer at heart, both in his job as fire lieutenant and outside of it. But his fiancée’s heartbreaking death derailed him, and he’s been focused on healing himself ever since. When he runs into her sister, Rachel, in the ER, he suspects she’s struggling even more than he is, and he reaches out.

Rachel’s an expert at keeping people at arm’s length, but the secret she’s keeping from Cale connects them in a way he’s never imagined. If she tells him the truth, will it bring them closer…or scare him off forever?