Only Through Love (Cane River Romance #2.5)

Charlie Soule never cared what anyone thought, especially the stuffy old folks in her home town of Natchitoches, Louisiana. She couldn’t wait to get out of the Creole swampland and see the world. When she leaves for college, her blond hair dyed bright pink and trusty black converse on her feet, Charlie knows she’s finally going to do something big. But three years later, Charlie returns after losing it all to a con artist. She left her little home town believing she could be anything. She comes back as a woman who can’t trust anyone.
Austin Becket looks like the kind of guy who’s never had to struggle to get ahead. Blessed with great parents and good looks, he gives the impression of a perfectly charmed life. With a new degree in hand, he moves to Natchitoches to work at the local juvenile justice center, hoping to do some real good in the world. When he meets Charlie in the local bookstore, he’s smitten with her razor-sharp wit, voracious reading habit, and no-nonsense attitude. Add in the fact she’s as passionate about gaming as he is, and she seems even more perfect. But somehow Charlie’s got the idea that he’s too good to be true, and the more he tries to connect with her, the more suspicious she becomes.