Single mom meets grumpy small-town hardware store owner in this second-chance, found family romance that proves love is worth the risk.
Annie Evans is drowning. With $847 in her bank account, an unreliable ex-husband, and a seven-year-old daughter who deserves better, she walks into Bowen Hardware desperate for any job that will keep them afloat. She’s overqualified, underprepared, and has absolutely no idea what a lag bolt is—but hardware store owner Nick Bowen takes a chance on her anyway.
Nick’s life is complicated enough: a father losing his memories to Alzheimer’s, a son who’s learned not to expect people to stay, and a store that’s barely breaking even. The last thing he needs is to fall for his new employee—especially one who’s clearly just passing through.
But Annie isn’t just reorganizing his inventory. She’s breathing life back into his family, his business, and his carefully guarded heart. When his quiet son befriends her artistic daughter, when his father lights up at her presence, when the whole town embraces her festival redesign—Nick realizes she’s become essential to everything that matters.
Then an eighty-thousand-dollar job offer in Boston forces Annie to choose between financial security and the family she’s found. Between the practical choice everyone expects and the terrifying leap her heart demands.
Because sometimes the bravest thing you can do is stay.
Perfect for readers who love emotional depth, small-town community, and romances where broken people build something beautiful together—one borrowed heart at a time.
✓ Single parent romance
✓ Grumpy/sunshine dynamics
✓ Small-town community feels
✓ Found family
✓ Clean & wholesome romance
Borrowed Hearts is the first book in the Borrowed Hearts series, sweet small-town romances about single parents, temporary commitments, and love that lingers long after the borrowed time is up.
Running away from my wedding led me right into the arms of the town’s grumpy bartender.
Three years away and I’m back in Pebble Point, fleeing from an engagement that wasn’t meant to be.
Leo Winters, my almost-more-than-friend, is now the brooding bar owner.
He’s changed, and so have I.
His gruff exterior hides a heart I once knew.
His silent presence challenges my constant chatter.
We’re opposites in every way, yet something sparks between us.
He’s on the brink of losing his bar, and I’m still figuring out my next step.
Can we face our present troubles and find a future together?
Or will our secrets destroy our chance at love?
Second Chance with the Grumpy Bartender is a clean, heartwarming romance where sweet kisses lead to a beautiful Happily Ever After. This stand-alone story is free from profanity and cliffhangers, ensuring a delightful and satisfying read.
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Sophie Toovey 