From Away by Cristina Santos

Leo Chapman came to Balsam Bay for a fresh start. After years of burying himself in his work in Toronto, he’s ready for something quieter—something that doesn’t remind him of everything he’s trying to leave behind. But adjusting to small-town life isn’t easy for a man who prefers the hum of a table saw to conversation.

Neve Ross doesn’t have time for distractions. As an interior designer with an eye for detail and a reputation to uphold, she’s spent years proving herself in a town where her family still sees her career as a frivolous pursuit. She knows better than to mix business with anything personal—especially with the quiet, brooding carpenter who avoids small talk like it’s a job requirement.

But the more their paths cross, the more Leo finds himself drawn to Neve’s fire, and the more Neve begins to see the quiet steadiness beneath Leo’s rough edges. In a town where everyone knows your business, some things are impossible to keep hidden, even from yourself—like the way Leo feels when he looks at Neve, or the way she starts to want more than their arrangement calls for.

As their connection grows, will Leo find the courage to let someone in, or will his fears keep him from the kind of home he never knew he needed?