The Pharmacist's Last First Date: A Small-Town Later-in-Life Romance (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798235284081)

Mara Collins likes her life the way she likes her pharmacy shelves: orderly, reliable, and free of surprises.

As Cedar Ridge's pharmacist, she is the woman people count on when things get messy. She solves problems, keeps her promises, and does not waste time on charming men with easy smiles and unfinished plans. So when a high-profile hospital fundraiser drops her into the path of Daniel Pierce, a maddeningly calm contractor with muddy boots and a talent for being useful, Mara is not impressed.

Daniel did not come back to Cedar Ridge to make a scene, win anyone over, or offer promises he cannot keep. He came back to work, help where he can, and stay out of trouble. Unfortunately, trouble in Cedar Ridge tends to arrive wearing a volunteer badge, carrying a clipboard, and asking for one more favor before breakfast.

When fundraiser prep uncovers old maps, donor records, and quiet gaps in the hospital's paper trail, Mara and Daniel find themselves pulled into a problem far bigger than event logistics. The deeper they dig, the clearer it becomes that Cedar Ridge Community Hospital has been living under the shadow of an old arrangement someone worked very hard to keep buried.

Now Mara and Daniel must untangle decades of polite half-truths, committee chaos, and small-town interference before the truth costs Cedar Ridge more than anyone can afford.

Working side by side, Mara starts to see the difference between a man who talks about showing up and one who actually does. Daniel begins to understand that Mara's sharp edges are not cruelty. They are the armor of a woman who has learned that depending on anyone is a risk.

But in a town where everybody notices everything, falling for each other may be the one complication neither of them can keep neatly contained.

Warm, witty, and full of heart, The Pharmacist's Last First Date is a later-in-life small-town romance about earned trust, visible love, and the courage to choose joy when it would be easier to stay safe.