Asheville Hearts #2: Painting with Love and Crushed

By Erin Smith

Painting with Love

Sometimes the most unexpected encounters leave the deepest mark.

Christa Taylor has always known where her future is headed-art school, big dreams, and a life built on creativity and faith. Romance? That can wait. But when a college design student named Ryan Nelson is assigned to show her around campus, everything she thought she had planned begins to shift.

Ryan is talented, guarded, and carrying a past he doesn't easily share. Christa is open-hearted, driven, and unafraid to see the beauty in people-and in him. What begins as a simple campus tour turns into late-night conversations, shared dreams, and a connection neither of them expected... or can ignore.

But love isn't always easy-especially when distance, uncertainty, and fear of getting hurt stand in the way. As Christa prepares to leave her old life behind and Ryan struggles to let someone into his carefully protected world, they must decide if what they've found is worth the risk.

With faith as their foundation and art as their language, Christa and Ryan discover that love isn't just something you fall into-
it's something you choose to create.
And sometimes, the most beautiful masterpiece... is the one you never planned.

Crushed

He's liked her all along...
she just never noticed.

Tara McClain is tired of bad dates. One after another, every guy she gives a chance turns out to be wrong-too pushy, too distant, or just not who she's looking for. She's starting to wonder if real love even exists... or if she's just destined to keep getting hurt.

Tim Parker has watched it all from the sidelines. As her friend, he's been there through every disappointment, every awkward breakup-hiding the truth that he's cared about her since the very beginning. But being "just friends" is getting harder, especially when she keeps choosing the wrong guys.

When one unexpected night changes everything, Tara begins to see Tim in a whole new light-the one person who's always been genuine, patient, and kind. As their friendship turns into something deeper, both of them must navigate new feelings, fears, and the risk of losing what they already have.

Can love grow from friendship... or will doubt and past mistakes keep them apart?
In Crushed, faith, friendship, and first love collide in a heartfelt story about discovering that sometimes, the person you've been searching for... has been right in front of you all along.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0HFKFP6M4
• ISBN13: 9798186711476
• Release Date: August 2026
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 244 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.6" x 6.0"