The Sweetwater Deception

He’s a billionaire in disguise.
She’s the only thing standing between him and the town he plans to buy.

Holden Blackmont doesn’t do feelings. He does acquisitions. Sweetwater Springs is next on his list.

To keep the land prices low, he goes undercover as a handyman at the town’s beloved historic inn—gathering intel, mapping vulnerabilities, and preparing to turn charm into profit. Then he meets Zara Hoffman.

Zara runs the Copper Bell Inn with sunshine, stubbornness, and more heart than budget. She believes in second chances, homemade pie, and protecting her town from corporate sharks.

So when her smooth-talking ex returns right as outside investors start circling, she asks her brooding new handyman for a favor:

Be her fake boyfriend for the Founder’s Festival. Holden says yes. It’s the perfect opportunity to get closer to the town’s inner circle.

But the longer he stays, the harder it becomes to remember which parts are pretend.

Because Zara’s laughter feels real. Her touch feels real. And for the first time in his life… so does he.

He came to buy Sweetwater Springs. He didn’t expect it to cost him his heart.

A sweet, slow-burn grumpy/sunshine romance with fake dating, a meddling small town, festival chaos, and a billionaire who falls hard. Closed-door, emotionally rich, and guaranteed happily ever after.