Sometimes the longest journey is the one that leads you home.

Award-winning wildlife photographer Wyatt Hayes has spent years chasing the perfect shot across the world's most remote landscapes. After a devastating expedition leaves him questioning his future, he escapes to the quiet mountain town of Ash & Ember, hoping to disappear long enough to figure out what's next.

Search-and-rescue ranger Cole Mercer has dedicated his life to protecting the forests surrounding the town. Dependable, disciplined, and fiercely loyal, he's learned that keeping people safe is easier than letting anyone get close.

When an unexpected mountain storm strands them together in an isolated ranger cabin, survival depends on trust, teamwork, and facing dangers neither expected.

As the days pass, guarded conversations become quiet confessions, reluctant respect becomes undeniable attraction, and two men carrying very different scars begin to discover that healing doesn't always happen alone.

But when the outside world comes calling, they'll have to decide whether what they found in the mountains belongs only to the wilderness—or whether some journeys are meant to lead home.

Northbound is a heartfelt contemporary MM romance featuring forced proximity, slow-burn chemistry, breathtaking mountain scenery, found family, emotional healing, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after.