Rough Cut Romance

She built up her walls—he showed up with a chainsaw.

Vera
My divorce is finalized, my son is heading to college, and for the first time in years… my life is peaceful.
Almost.
Because college tuition is outrageously expensive, and peaceful doesn’t exactly pay the bills.
So I do what any slightly desperate single mom with construction experience and a questionable sense of humor would do—I start designing nightstands.
Normal nightstands… with one tiny twist.
Each one has a hidden compartment for mommy’s special toys.
Because no parent wants their kid discovering what’s tucked into a drawer or hidden under a mattress and waving it around for the world to see.
The idea is brilliant.
The timing? Not so much.
The trade show that could make this business take off is only a few weeks away, and my design still needs serious work.
Enter Wyatt.
A ridiculously talented carpenter with a crooked grin, endless patience, and a goofy sense of humor that makes me laugh harder than I have in years.
Between sawdust-filled afternoons in the workshop and road trips for supplies, we fall into an easy rhythm.
The kind that feels dangerously close to something more.
Which is a problem, because I just fought my way back to peace.
And the last thing this newly divorced single mom needs is another man complicating her life.

Wyatt
I was raised by a single mom who worked herself to the bone while dating a parade of men who made her life harder.
I promised myself I’d never be one of those guys.
No drama. No messy relationships. And definitely no getting involved with a woman who already has enough on her plate.
Then Vera asks me to help build her toy box.
Next thing I know, I’m spending every spare hour helping her design nightstands with clever hidden compartments and sexy little secrets.
Working with her should be simple.
But Vera’s smart, funny, and stronger than she realizes. And somewhere between sanding wood, testing sliding panels, and hearing the story behind her crazy idea…
I stop wanting to keep my distance.
She deserves someone steady. Someone who makes her life easier.
The problem is…
The more time we spend alone in that workshop, the harder it is not to imagine being the reason she doesn’t need those toys anymore.
And if I’m not careful, this little side project might turn into the one thing I swore I’d never risk.
My heart.

Can these two create a blueprint for love? Or is this project destined to be unfinished? Find out in this short mountain man and the single mom romcom novella. This story features no cheating and a guaranteed HEA. First person, past tense, dual POV.