Fixing Fate by Anna Brooks

Mellie Jamison is afraid of the world after her security and innocence were stolen as a teen. Now in her early twenties, she’s content with her secluded lifestyle and her cat… at least, that’s what she tells herself. When a grandfather she never met leaves her an abandoned house, she has no choice but to set out on a journey she never wanted to take.

Smith Porter was living his dream until he was forced to give up his job as a police officer and return home to take over the family business. He’s now alone in the world, merely surviving on memories and emotionless attachments. So when his old partner calls in a favor, Smith agrees to flip the neglected house and keep an eye on Jay’s baby sister.

He’s a master at restoration and rebuilding, but Smith never expected that tearing the walls down around Mellie’s heart to be his most difficult project yet. And when her life is threatened, keeping her safe is the most important job he’ll ever have.