Gifts — Brynne Asher

No one would say Keelie Lockhart isn't determined. Taking on the role of both mom and dad to her two young kids, she's managing life the best she can. Saddled with a century-old dilapidated farmhouse she can't afford, a bevy of goats, two dogs, and a geriatric donkey, the last thing she has time for is a man -- even if that man is a knight whose shining armor comes in the form of worn-in jeans and work boots. Controlled, methodical, and focused -- Asa Hollingsworth takes charge of everything in life. Working close to home after years away, he finally has the time to focus on his kids. Little does he know, a chance meeting with a petite, strawberry-blonde stranded on the side of the road, would intertwine their lives in a way he'd never want to untangle. But when school bullies turn into something much worse, Asa starts to dig around. He never dreams the troubles lurking in the hallways of the local high school would shake his family to its core. With drug dealers lurking, bullets flying, and threats coming from every angle, Asa must do everything he can to protect the ones he loves. Because in the end, there's nothing more precious than the gift of life. Warning: Oh, I'm sorry, that's a fake ID. If you're not eighteen, consider yourself bounced and walk away from my books. I'll gladly welcome you back when you become a legit adult. That is, unless you're my parents or my children. If so, walk away and don't come back. You don't need to know what's in my head.