Bonfires and Badges

Even the messiest beginnings can lead to perfect happily-ever-afters...

Ally

As the daughter of a politician, I've spent my whole life behaving like a walking press release. Mom expects perfection, and I deliver: smiles, posture, and not a single hair out of place. So, when I'm asked to babysit my twin cousins in small-town Iowa, I arrive armed with expert parenting tips and the confidence of someone pretending to know what she's doing. Unfortunately, none of it prepares me for the consequences of momentary distraction...

And I get arrested. By a ridiculously handsome policeman.

Thankfully, the charming Officer Griffin sentences me to community service rather than a jail cell. As long as word of my crime doesn't reach the dozens of news outlets covering Mom's Senate campaign-and as long as I keep my heart in check-I'll escape town with my record and dignity intact.

Riley

Working as a police officer in a rival town has branded me an outsider and strained my already-fragile family relationships. Still, protecting people is worth the cold shoulders and whispered judgments. Besides, the job comes with unexpected perks.

Like meeting another outsider. Who I arrest for shaving a goat. Specifically, the town mascot.

Allyson James is sweet, gorgeous, and completely unprepared when it comes to babysitting-which is why I suggest she volunteer at the festival to make up for her crime. If that means I get more time with her as her self-appointed probation officer, all the better.

But when Ally finds herself the target of a malicious threat, my convenient excuse for proximity becomes an opportunity to protect the woman who's never seen me as an outcast.