Darcy Ames dedicates her life to others, neglecting her own survival in the process. When an unprecedented polar vortex hits Montana and the pipes of her church shelter burst in the dead of night, the lethal temperature leaves her with no choice: she must find refuge for the fourteen people in her care. Her only option is to knock on the door of the only heated house left on the road. The home of Malachi Brewer.
Malachi just got out of Deer Lodge prison after serving six years for beating a man to death with his bare hands. He is a man made of silence, stone, and contained violence. If he opens his door, it isn't out of charity, but because he owes an unspoken debt to Darcy: she sat with his dying mother while he was locked in a cell.
Trapped together as the storm completely isolates the town, Darcy and Malachi begin a dangerous game. He dictates absolute conditions for their survival. She refuses to be broken. But under the intense, possessive gaze of this ex-con who sees right through her defenses, Darcy's walls begin to crumble.
Malachi is hiding a heavy secret about the true reason behind his crime. Darcy is keeping his mother's last letters. And while the freezing cold rages outside, the real threat is inside these walls. Malachi is no hero; he is a patient predator, and Darcy realizes that surviving the blizzard will be nothing compared to surviving what he awakens in her.
