Gringo Joe

His life had been a fairytale. At Segunda Vida Vineyards, where his family produced world-class wines, the cries of the oppressed were harder to hear and easier to ignore. He was valedictorian of his class and expected to play quarterback at Oregon or Cal, but Joe Chandler, heir-apparent to his family's empire, began to hear an ancient voice - and a calling. All were surprised when he disappeared, but surprise didn't begin to explain their emotions when he became a US Army Ranger. After fighting al-Shabaab in North Africa and the Taliban in Afghanistan, he assumed the worst was behind. But, when sixteen young girls were kidnapped and senselessly murdered, he went to pick a fight with a Mexican cartel. Exhausted, bleeding, and tired of burying friends, Joe Chandler came home looking for peace - when she walked in. Graduating first in your class at Stanford Law is a big deal. Mel Randle was brilliant, beautiful, and being courted by every major firm in the country. Now, the idea of mergers and acquisitions, suing people she didn't know, made her question all she'd ever wanted. Suffocating from expectations, she panicked and ran, looking for a place where no one knew her name. The hills surrounding Steelhead, Oregon, were covered with vineyards and towering firs, and the people were everything San Francisco wasn't. First, it was the laughter of friends, then the intoxicating smell of roasted coffee beans and fresh-baked scones. The sign said, Gringo Joe's Espresso, and without a doubt, he had the greenest eyes she'd ever seen. Finally - a safe place to think and reorder her world. However, small towns with big secrets can be dangerous for a curious attorney. They were going to kill her, but they didn't count on him. Joe and Mel would both need a miracle. What they got - was each other.