Rebecca Spencer is used to handling pressure—she runs her family’s hardware store with grit and grace, fending off both business challenges and the relentless advances of men who mistake her professionalism for flirtation. But when Kyle Mulvaney, her most persistent (and infuriating) client, crosses the line, Rebecca is desperate for a solution. Enter Sam Miller: a brooding, battle-worn Navy SEAL who’s returned to McIntosh Ridge only to settle his late father’s estate and escape again. He wants nothing to do with small-town drama—or the parade of single women eager to welcome him home.

A fake relationship seems like the perfect answer. For Rebecca, it’s a shield against unwanted attention and unforeseen complications from that. For Sam, it’s a way to keep the matchmaking mothers at bay. But as their staged romance unfolds—through fake dates, whispered secrets, and a chemistry that refuses to stay pretend—the lines between real and fake begin to blur.

In Reason to Stay, two guarded hearts must decide if they can trust each other enough to risk everything for a chance at love. Will Rebecca and Sam find the courage to let go of the past, or will their arrangement remain just that—a beautiful lie?

Perfect for fans of small-town romance, slow-burn chemistry, and stories of healing and hope.