Pumpkins and Pretending

She needs a fake boyfriend. He’s been secretly in love with her for years.

After a sports injury ends her college scholarship, Leah Miller is determined to save her family’s failing business. It’s her last chance to prove to everyone, including herself, that she can still make something of her future—even if it means turning her life into a questionable publicity campaign with fake engagement photos featuring her brother’s best friend, Sam.

Sam Carter has always put everyone’s needs ahead of his own. But being the guy everyone counted on came with a cost; mostly, he’d forgotten how to say no. He’s spent years showing up for the Miller family and caring about Leah far more than he should.

When their photos catch the attention of the internet and a local news station, there’s just one problem: no one knew they were staged. Now the news wants to promote the story of small-town lovers saving their family business. It’s the publicity miracle Leah has been looking for, but first she has to convince Sam to be her fake fiancé.

Between festival chaos, runaway goats, and a town far too invested in their relationship, the line between fiction and reality blurs.

But as Leah fights to save the farm, she realizes she could lose something far more important. She could lose the man who’s been beside her all along, the man who has started to feel like home. Now she’ll have to decide how far she’s willing to go to save the future she thought she wanted.