Where the Roots Hold

A later-in-life clean romance about buried dreams, small-town roots, and the dangerous gift of being truly seen. She stayed. For thirty years, she stayed. I was supposed to leave Tiderow. I had the acceptance letter, the dream, the whole life I'd mapped out. But my mother needed me, and someone had to stay, and I told myself staying was a choice. I've been telling myself that for three decades. Now a development company is circling the community garden I've spent my life tending, and my oldest friend Delia is the first to volunteer to help me fight. She's always been there. She's always been loyal. Then a man shows up at the farmers' market. An environmental consultant, he says. Quiet. Guarded. He looks at my greenhouse ventilation system and asks about salt intrusion, and nobody asks me that. Nobody looks at what I've built and sees the science underneath. Nolan Greaves sees things I've spent a lifetime making sure no one notices. The ambition I buried. The version of me that exists underneath the one everyone counts on. He also sees something about Delia that I'm not ready to see. In a town where everyone knows your family and no one knows who you really are, can I trust the outsider who sees me clearly - even if what he sees could shatter my oldest friendship? Where the Roots Hold is the first in The Tiderow Series - a standalone love story, shared community, and a cliffhanger that will have you reaching for Book 2. A heartwarming novella you can finish in one sitting. Perfect for readers of June Woods and fans of the small-town warmth of Jessie Gussman and Elana Johnson. No explicit content. Guaranteed HEA.