Axel — Kathi S. Barton

When hotshot lawyer Axel Hathaway trades his corner office for a crumbling estate and a diamond-in-the-rough downtown property, he's looking for an escape—not a fresh start. Then, he meets Mackenzie Mac Booth, a renovation contractor whose sharp wit is matched only by her talent for bringing old buildings back to life.As they peel back layers of vintage wallpaper and restore century-old hardwood, Axel finds himself falling for more than just the properties' historic charm. But both the estate and Mac harbor secrets that refuse to stay buried. With his carefully constructed new life threatening to collapse like a house of cards, Axel must decide if he's finally ready to tear down the walls he's built around his heart.