Salvo — H.E. Trent

Owen McGarry's plan to isolate himself on planet Jekh in hopes of escaping survivor's guilt about his identical twin's death drastically backfires when the newest inhabitant of his sister's farm proves she can't be trusted with independence. Raised in an alien lab and designed to be a “better” Jekhan hybrid, lonely Ais is actually nearly blind and can barely communicate. While her hostesses bend over backward to make Ais feel welcome, their brother Owen treats her like a petulant child who lacks common sense. After enduring a quarter century of experimentation on a cold Tyneali space station, Ais wants to feel useful and wanted, but Owen thinks what she needs is to be locked away for her own good. Lust and affection bloom in close quarters when gutsy Ais shows she's more than a problem for Owen to solve. His gruffness doesn't deter her. She soothes his wounded spirit and can actually put a smile on his face, but love on Jekh is never simple. Ais is being hunted by three entities with competing agendas, and they won't stop until they have her. Owen didn't move to Jekh to play hero, but if he doesn't want to see true love slip away, he'll have to quickly learn to be one.