Derecho

Lachlan Ford

Three years ago, an accident changed everything.

My leg. My mind. My future.

Nothing is how it was supposed to be.

I've lived at the Silver Ridge Ranch my whole life, but these days, my world ends at my front porch. Every step beyond it feels impossible. My mind is a prison of fear, rituals, and memories that won't let go, reminding me I'll never be the man I was. Never be strong enough to protect myself-or the people I love.

My family keeps telling me to fight my way back. They mean well. But every word of encouragement only adds to the noise already screaming inside my head.

Then there's Lainey Calloway.

Week after week, she shows up to my house with warm meals, sharp wit, and just enough stubborn determination to coax me one step farther than I managed the day before. And as time goes on, I stop dreading her visits... and start looking forward to them.

There's only one problem.

She's engaged. Pregnant. And hiding behind a smile that's fooling everyone except me. Because the bruises wrapped around her arm tell a story she refuses to.

When Lainey appears on my doorstep in the middle of a raging storm with nowhere safe left to go, I don't hesitate. I'll give her a place to stay. A place to breathe. A place to heal.

Somewhere along the way, my house stops feeling like a prison. It becomes a home. And Lainey? She stops being the woman I'm protecting and becomes the reason I find the courage to face the world again.

For the first time since the accident, I want more than survival.

I want a future.

And I'll do whatever it takes to keep Lainey-and the baby she's carrying-safe. Even when it means facing every fear I've spent the last three years hiding from.