A Time to Heal Coast Guard officer Sawyer Trask left Cape Cod with a big regret—never confessing his true feelings to his childhood friend Ava. Now a widow with two young children, Ava needs him more than ever. He once promised to watch over her and the kids, and he's going to honor that—even though he harbors a secret that could tear them apart. Ava could always count on Sawyer through thick and thin, so having him nearby is a huge comfort. But his presence is also stirring her heart in unexpected ways. Can Sawyer and Ava move beyond their past hurts to find their happily ever after? Belle Calhoune is a New York Times Best Selling author. She grew up in a small town in Massachusetts across the street from a public library. Married to her college sweetheart and mother of two lovely daughters, she lives in Connecticut. A dog lover, she has one mini poodle and a black lab. Writing for the Love Inspired line is a dream come true. Working at home in her pajamas is one of the best perks of the job. Belle enjoys summers in Cape Cod, traveling and watching classic movies. Sawyer Trask had been back in Buzzards Bay for two days now. Although he'd stopped on occasion to grab a bite to eat and check in with his team, he'd been in sleep mode ever since he settled in to his new home. He'd slept for a solid fourteen hours straight, which was a record for him. Everything had caught up with him at once-jet lag, being overseas for an extended period of time and his illness. When he finally awakened he'd stepped out onto his parapet just in time to spot Ava Trask walking the path from the beach up to her cottage. From the first moment he laid eyes on her, something inside him had cracked wide open. He hadn't expected such an overwhelming feeling, but there it was, settled firmly around his heart. It had been a year since he'd seen her. Three hundred and forty-four days since he'd heard her sweet voice. Sawyer didn't stop to analyze the emotions coursing through him-guilt, attraction, regret? An inner voice had urged him to walk over to the cottage and announce his return, because he knew that the longer he waited, the more difficult it would be to confront the situation head-on. Knowing Ava as well as he did, he could only imagine her stunned reaction. She was way more beautiful than he remembered, a million times more exotic and appealing. Miles and miles away from the scrawny, plucky tomboy who'd quickly befriended the new kid in town. From the moment she'd reached out to him in the sweetest act of friendship he'd ever known, they'd been as thick as thieves. Ava and Sawyer. In Buzzards Bay their names had been blurred together as if they were one. Partners in crime. Swashbucklers. Pirates. She was so familiar to him, yet everything about her now seemed so foreign. He'd caught a glimpse of her as she took her morning jog across the beach, stood transfixed as she frolicked with the family dog and marveled at the way she played with the twins. His cousin Billy's children. Casey and Dahlia. Dolly, for short. They were six years old, on the cusp of turning seven. Their birthday was coming up in two months. It would be their second one without their father, with dozens of birthdays stretched out before them. A lifetime of events, he thought grimly. Years of special occasions without the man who'd given them life by their side, cheering them on and providing them with guidance. There was something about the three of them playing on the beach with their dog that pulled at him. They looked like the picture-perfect family, he thought. Minus one. A stab of guilt pierced his heart as his eyes roamed over the family. He wanted to reach out and touch them, to nurture them in any way he could. After all, they were the reason he'd come back. What he really wanted was to be able to give them back every ounce of what had been taken from them. But he couldn't. Some things couldn't be fixed. Returning home wasn't going to be a cakewalk. He was coming back to the grim reality of what had happened two years ago. It meant acknowledging the way he'd run away like a coward rather than confront his own feelings. He'd have to deal with the lingering grief blanketing his loved ones. And the shadow of guilt that still hung over him. But he was stronger now and more determined than ever. He'd come back to Buzzards Bay with a purpose, one that required commitment and follow-through. It was time to uphold his sacred promise to his cousin. Not another day would go by without him being present in Dolly's and Casey's lives. And somehow he needed to tell Ava about his role in her husband's death. He just hoped it wouldn't mean she'd want nothing more to do with him ever again. "Tully!" Ava ran down the beach at breakneck speed, her steps slowed down by the gravitational pull of the sand. The sand didn't seem to be slowing down her chocolate Lab puppy as he bounded toward the water. Just as Tully placed his paws in the ocean, she reached down and sco