Hope Lewis has come to Texas to be with her Uncle Matt, her only living relative now that her parents and her uncle James have died. Still grieving over the recent loss, she is looking forward to getting to know the uncle who left before she was born. The reason he left has never been mentioned in her family, making Hope doubly curious about this Texas rancher.

On this visit she meets the young, irascible, and handsome Ethan Kincaid, her uncle’s trusted friend and neighbor. Their attraction is almost instantaneous but something is keeping Ethan from taking it any further. They spar even as they spark. His mixed signals keeps Hope’s inexperienced heart fluttering and her agile mind trying to figure out the puzzle.

Uncovering the secrets being hidden from her sends Hope on a quest that may not have a happy ending, for her as well as her uncle and Ethan. Throw in a vengeful bandit who has a “mole” embedded on the ranch and you’ve got an adventure.

Ms. Haber provides an engaging hero in Ethan Kincaid—a man of contradictions. His struggle to overcome his attraction to his best friend’s “niece” is at turns amusing, exasperating and sympathy inducing.  While the story may be familiar, Ethan keeps things interesting.