Breaking Ground (Professional Passions Series)

Madeline Chadwick is a legal titan known for her perfectly tailored suits and an even sharper, frost-bitten demeanor. Chicago’s premier “Ice Queen” attorney doesn’t retreat from anything, but returning to her rain-drenched Oregon hometown to rescue a crumbling multi-million-dollar development feels like an impossible trial. Her biggest obstacle isn't the contract; it is Alex Gray, a local contractor who wears grease and independence like armor and despises everything Madeline stands for. Alex is the antithesis of Madeline’s polished world. Rough-edged and unapologetic, she views the high-powered attorney as an invasive species in her quiet, rugged life. Their professional clash is immediate and venomous, but when mysterious sabotage threatens to derail the entire project, the two women are forced into an uneasy alliance. Trapped in a town determined to see them fail, Madeline and Alex find themselves navigating a treacherous landscape of corporate secrets and mounting hostility. Yet, the friction between them sparks a combustible chemistry that threatens to dismantle the defenses they have spent a lifetime building. As the storm gathers, Madeline must decide if she is willing to break her own foundation to discover what—or who—is worth building a future with.