Ellie Bradshaw was just an average twenty-five year old park ranger until a chance encounter with a mystery man turned her world inside-out.
Park Ranger, Ellie Bradshaw, hasn’t had the best life. If losing both of her parents at the age of eighteen in a car accident weren’t enough, her long-time boyfriend suddenly reveals he has an infant son and flies home to Arizona to visit for the holidays - only to never return.
When Ellie encounters Nick Smith by the side of the road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Nick’s unwavering refusal to provide ID presents a challenge and raises red flags for Ellie. Alarmed he could be a criminal lying low in the rugged backcountry, she makes it her mission to uncover the handsome stranger’s identity.
What begins as a war of wills gradually transforms into a cautious truce, however, after Ellie saves Nick’s life and ultimately learns the true identity of the man concealed beneath his bearded disguise. But rather than alleviating her concerns, the newfound knowledge only serves to rekindle her fear of abandonment.
Will she ever be able to overcome her fears and make a life with Nick? And will Nick want a life with Ellie when he finds out the secret she hides?