Nona Conrad has been making it through "by the hardest." Each day is a struggle—to go on after her parents' sudden death, to win her rightful inheritance from her untrustworthy half-brother, and to raise her high-spirited younger sister. So when Nona is unexpectedly hired to manage a fishing camp deep in the Arkansas woods, it seems like a heaven-sent opportunity to settle down at last.

Yet it isn't long before the strong-willed redhead clashes with two men. One is a mysterious, well-dressed stranger who grabs her arm and calls her by name before driving off in a big sedan. The other is the camp's new owner, Simon Wright. Straightforward, self-assured, and protective, he seems to know a lot about Nona…and presents a peril she never imagined.

Simon has his own very good reasons for dogging her steps and hovering over the sisters to keep them safe. He just wasn't prepared for Nona's self-reliance and refusal to trust him—or the instant, irresistible attraction drawing him all too close.

While Nona decides whether Simon is an ally or a charmer with his own agenda, someone driven by greed will do anything to find out what she knows…and an unsuspected enemy is making sure that Nona and Simon will soon have nowhere to run.