Tools of Engagement (hot & Hammered, #3)

The novel follows Bethany Castle, a 30-year-old professional house stager, and Wes Daniels, a 23-year-old former bull rider, as they clash and connect while flipping a dilapidated house in Port Jefferson, Long Island.

Wes has recently arrived from San Antonio, Texas, to care for his five-year-old niece, Laura, after his half-sister Becky claimed she needed a break from motherhood. Though he has no childcare experience, Wes has settled into a routine of kindergarten schedules and a food rotation managed by the Just Us League, a local women's group organized by Bethany. Wes finds Bethany overwhelmingly attractive, though their interactions consist almost entirely of traded insults. He works for Brick & Morty, the Castle family's house-flipping company, and his next project is directly across the street from Bethany's house.

Bethany projects an image of effortless perfection: flawless outfits, an immaculate home, and a poised hostess persona. Beneath this surface, she is gripped by anxiety, scratching compulsively at a spot on her neck when stressed. Months earlier, she announced plans to lead her own house flip independent of her older brother Stephen, who runs Brick & Morty and has never let her do more than stage finished homes. Her construction permits arrived weeks ago, but she has hidden them in her closet, paralyzed by fear of failing publicly.

When Bethany confronts Stephen at his jobsite and announces she is leaving to lead her own project, he dismisses her contribution as merely picking out "couches." Wes unexpectedly strips off his work gloves and volunteers to join Bethany's flip. The property, a house gifted to Bethany by Travis Ford, her younger sister Georgie's fiancé, is in catastrophic condition. They name it "the Doomsday Flip" and declare sex "off the table." When Bethany struggles to articulate her floor plan vision, Wes presses her to trust her own instincts.

At Georgie and Travis's rehearsal dinner, Bethany reveals that her self-imposed dating hiatus stems from a pattern of boyfriends cheating on her and calling her cold. Wes tells her those men simply could not keep up with her. At the wedding reception, a television producer named Justine pitches Flip Off, a reality-show competition between the Castle siblings. Stephen goads Bethany into accepting despite her house being in far worse condition. Afterward, Bethany has a panic attack behind the venue. Wes finds her and offers a slow dance instead of pressing her to explain. She confesses that nothing in her life fails to stress her out, including sex, where she cannot stop overthinking. Before they part, Wes asks her to consider not overthinking him.

Filming begins with Slade Hogan as host. When Bethany freezes in front of the cameras, unable to swing a sledgehammer, Wes orders the cameras off and speaks to her privately. She confesses that being bad at anything terrifies her. Wes tells her to do it anyway and reassures her that even Stephen makes constant mistakes. Bethany swings and smashes a hole in the wall, turning to Wes with an unguarded smile.

Their connection deepens during demolition. When Wes's babysitter cancels, he calls Bethany for help with an impromptu playdate, the first time he has voluntarily relied on anyone. She improvises an elaborate tea party that reveals a warmth with children she did not know she possessed. That evening, Laura tells Wes "I love you," the first time anyone has said those words to him. Over beers in the backyard, Wes opens up about his years in foster care, explaining that no one has ever needed him permanently. Bethany kisses him before he can finish saying she is the woman he would stay for. Their kiss is tender and unhurried, and their physical intimacy escalates from there.

When Becky returns unannounced and attempts to collect Laura, Bethany intercepts her, recognizing signs of possible substance use, and keeps her outside until Wes arrives. Wes tells Becky she is not fit to see Laura but acknowledges their sibling bond for the first time. He tells her he wants to pursue temporary guardianship.

After a weekend apart during which Bethany reverts to old patterns of emotional distance, tensions erupt on the jobsite. Wes discovers Bethany plans to retile the roof without safety training and tells her it is "not a job for you," striking at the competence she set out to prove. Cornered in front of the crew and cameras, Bethany fires him. That night, a rainstorm sends them both racing to the site, where Bethany slips off the rain-slicked roof and catches a crumbling gutter. Wes tells her to let go and trust him. She does, and he catches her. Inside the dark house, he declares himself permanently rehired, promising to show up every morning no matter how many times she fires him. Their reconciliation deepens both physically and emotionally, with Wes telling her to "figure it out with me."

Bethany begins loosening her grip on perfection and announces to the Just Us League that her man hiatus is over. She shows up barefoot at Wes's window, and they have sex for the first time. As she sleeps afterward, Wes whispers "I love you" into the darkness. When Becky agrees to the guardianship but must sell the house where Wes and Laura live, Bethany impulsively offers them her home.

The new household brings genuine happiness, but the equilibrium shatters when Paula, a court-appointed visitor, tours the house and calls it "cold," comparing it to a showroom unfit for a child. The word "cold," the same criticism Bethany's exes always leveled at her, triggers a devastating spiral. She tells Wes the arrangement was "crazy" and that he would be better off without her. Too exhausted to fight through her defenses, Wes says he and Laura will leave by morning.

Alone at the flip house, Bethany weeps, recognizing she has driven away the only person who accepted all of her flaws. She calls Georgie and asks for help staging the house, the first time she has ever admitted she cannot do something alone. Georgie arrives with Travis, Bethany's best friend Rosie, Rosie's partner Dominic, and half the Just Us League. They work through the night. In the morning, Bethany confesses that she constantly pushes people away to hide her imperfections.

On the morning of the Flip Off announcement, Laura tells Wes she wants Bethany to be her mom. He realizes he made a mistake by accepting Bethany's emotional withdrawal instead of fighting through it and files a guardianship appeal. At the filming, Stephen concedes victory to Bethany, declaring her flip superior and confessing he copied one of her old staging layouts. Believing Wes is gone, Bethany speaks directly into the camera, calling him her "destination" and saying she got lost on the way. Wes steps out of the crowd, tells her he filed the appeal, and assures her they do not quit. She tells him she loves him; he says he loves her too. He produces a ring and proposes. Bethany accepts. Slade announces that Bethany and Wes have won Flip Off, along with a check for the increased property value and a year of paid property taxes. Wes carries Bethany over the threshold of their renovated home.

Eight months later, Bethany and Wes have married in a barefoot ceremony in the Doomsday house, now their family home, messy with finger paintings and dust on the mantel. Becky has completed rehabilitation and is sober, training under Bethany as a stager for the second Brick & Morty flip team. At Laura's kindergarten graduation, the entire Castle-Daniels family fills the front row. Wes tells Bethany, "We've got everything," and repeats his vow: "You and me. In it together." Bethany answers, "Forever and ever."