A small-town backcountry hiking guide and a travel nurse become reluctant roommates and fight their growing connection before his contract—and their time together—comes to an end in this cozy, slow-burn, small town romance.

• backcountry hiking guide x travel nurse

• forced proximity/roommates

• slow burn, cozy romance

• found family

• small mountain town

• closed door

Stevie Lynch has never wanted to leave Fontana Ridge.

The Smoky Mountains are her home, her livelihood, and the one place she’s always felt steady. Guiding backcountry tours is the only thing she’s completely sure of, even if the rest of her life feels a little less certain. The last thing she needs is her routine disrupted, especially by a temporary roommate.

Jack Sullivan doesn’t stay anywhere long.

As a travel nurse, he moves from contract to contract, keeping his life simple and uncomplicated. It works for him. No roots. No expectations. No reason to get attached. But when a housing mix-up lands him renting a room in Stevie’s house, simple suddenly feels a lot more complicated.

Living together was never part of the plan.

Between early mornings, shared dinners, and long conversations after work, what begins as convenience slowly turns into friendship and something much harder to ignore. The more time they spend under the same roof, the more their carefully guarded boundaries begin to blur.

Jack has an end date.

Stevie has never wanted to leave.

But sometimes the best paths aren’t the ones you map out—they’re the ones you find when you least expect it.