Making over the creaky Victorian into a bed-and-breakfast is probably a crazy plan, but the ramshackle house is all Tara has. And even though she can barely scrape together her brother's college fees, she won't give up. Until the townsfolk decide to show the independent "Sullivan girl" that she's in over her head.

What can Matt Connors possibly do to help this notorious beauty? He's just a carpenter to her, and besides, he's got problems of his own. By pounding nails, Matt struggles to blot out the trauma of his last years in a big-city police department. But once Tara thaws enough to let him in, he has to face the past. And the past is full of memories both of them are trying to outrun….