The Valentine Bake-Off

When Valentine’s Day rolls into Willow Creek, the town’s favorite tradition is suddenly at risk. The annual bake-off isn’t just a contest. It’s how neighbors gather, trade stories, and feel close again. This year, it’s on the verge of falling apart.

Mara Collins lives by lists and timelines. As the town’s event planner, she fixes problems before they grow teeth. What she doesn’t expect is being assigned to work with Ethan Brooks, the quiet bakery owner who trusts his hands more than a schedule and prefers early mornings to meetings.

Ethan’s world runs on warm ovens, handwritten recipes, and muscle memory. He’s proud of what he’s built and wary of anyone who tries to rearrange it. Especially someone with a clipboard and a plan. But with the festival closing in, they’re stuck together long hours in the kitchen, flour on their sleeves, the smell of sugar and yeast hanging in the air.

Tension follows. So do moments neither of them planned for. Small conversations. Shared setbacks. A growing respect that sneaks in between disagreements. The closer the event gets, the harder it is to ignore what’s changing.

As pressure mounts and the town watches, Mara and Ethan have to decide what matters more: staying comfortable or taking a chance on something new.

Sometimes love starts with a mess and a choice.

***

Set in the same welcoming town, Valentine in Willow Creek continues with more heartfelt stories of love, community, and fresh beginnings.

Valentine in Willow Creek is a clean romance series set in a small town where February brings more than red ribbons and window displays. Each Valentine’s season, familiar streets and cozy shops set the stage for love that grows slowly and honestly. Workplace partnerships, old friendships shifting into something more, and pretend relationships that start to feel real all unfold against the rhythm of everyday life.

These standalone stories focus on connection, kindness, and the small moments that change everything. A shared coffee. A snowy sidewalk. A town that notices when someone needs support. With gentle emotion, hopeful endings, and a community that looks after its own, Valentine in Willow Creek offers comfort, warmth, and quiet romance.

Sometimes love shows up right where you already are.