In a small town filled with big secrets, sometimes love stands in unexpected places.

Emma Talbot has spent ten years keeping her parents’ legacy alive as the owner of Talbot’s General Store, the beating heart of Laurel Ridge, West Virginia. While tourists marvel at the store’s old-world charm, only Emma knows the cost of preserving the past—her own dreams, tucked away like the empty plot of land where her childhood home once stood.

Veterinarian Sam Cooper returns to his hometown with a simple plan: open his practice, care for the town’s animals, and safeguard his wounded heart from ever trusting in love again. His recent divorce taught him that lesson all too well. But when he sets eyes on his childhood friend Emma for the first time in years, something unexpected stirs beneath his carefully constructed defenses.

When Sam expresses interest in buying the property where Emma’s childhood home once stood, old wounds and unspoken feelings surface between them. As summer unfolds in their picturesque tourist town, Emma and Sam find themselves navigating a complicated dance of rekindled friendship and undeniable attraction.

But can Emma find the courage to pursue her long-buried dreams and open her heart? And will Sam risk everything to trust in love again, or will the shadows of their past keep them from building a future together?

In Laurel Ridge, where faith runs as deep as the nearby New River, sometimes love stands in the most unexpected places—if only you’re brave enough to meet it there.

Return to Laurel Ridge, where cobblestone streets, mountain views, and second chances await…