Beauty and the tormented beast
Ford Winter, the oldest and according to his siblings, ugliest, is a man with carefully hidden secrets. Outwardly relaxed, laid-back, and happy with life on his family's ranch, Ford takes comfort in the daily rhythms of his life. Under the surface, however, he is battling with the demons of something he will never share with anyone.
Business takes him from his hometown, and when he finds a desperate woman standing outside his hotel room, clearly in pain, he does what he does best. Steps in to help her. What he doesn't realize is that life as he knows it, from that moment is about to change forever after their encounter.
Autumn Harris, the sweet new teacher in town and the woman he rescued, is a single mother and way too nice for the likes of him. He doesn't want nice and sweet, or a relationship, because at night, when the door to his room is closed, often Ford's life changes for the worse. Plagued with nightmares from an event that changed his life, he never wants anyone to see his demons. Especially not Autumn.
Can their demons be tamed?
Autumn desperately needs a life change, both for herself and her son, Ritchie. So when she reads about a teaching position in Ryker Falls, Colorado, she jumps at the chance. Finally she can escape the man who once held her heart. A man who thinks he can still be part of their lives, despite Autumn's protests.
The Ryker Falls community welcomes her and Ritchie, wrapping them in a secure blanket of love and support. After the hell that she's come from, it's like the best kind of dream come true. Right up until the day she walks into Ford Winter again. He's the man who tenderly looked after her, the man who showed her such gentle kindness when she'd no one else to turn to. The tall, imposing rancher with the easy smile but shadowed eyes.
Autumn senses something is off with Ford. Something dark is plaguing him, his unspoken demons obvious in his manner and rejection. Autumn is both scared yet drawn to an inward struggle she well recognizes, but she also knows her heart can never be truly his. Not when she has so much at stake.
Can Ford and Autumn heal each other, or will the past that comes calling stop them from finding a future together?
