Hooked by Sundown — Mary J. McCoy-Dressel

Wade Emory falls fast for women, yet it's a well-known fact his relationships don't last. On a trip to the Pacific Coast to visit his ill brother, he slips into his bad habit when he meets a hotheaded mom with a son who spews four-letter words. However, after enjoying nearly a week with them, she and the boy leave early. Before she's gone forever, he convinces her to meet up again to pick up where they left off on the beach. Then, at home, an unexpected visitor pops in, and he learns the past harbors secrets and lies that don't always stay hidden. Life's lessons have taught him that people don't stick around, so how can he prevent a relationship with Sophie from becoming another failure?

Sophie Price-Daniels needs a change of scenery. The opportunity arises when she flies to California to bail her troublemaking brother out of jail. When he directs his anger at her and her boy, a stranger steps in, but a hero is the last thing she wants. She's alone and living in her self-appointed prison of grief, until…until she peers into his warm yet saddened eyes. As desires long forgotten force their way to the surface, she's faced with a dilemma -- to give in to her needs and accept a new future is possible for her and her son -- or back away and continue to believe she's betraying a man who is no longer with them.

Two lonely people need to trust each other -- and themselves -- to overcome their unfortunate pasts.