Publisher's Synopsis
Quiet, reserved ER nurse Keely Marks returns to her quaint beachside hometown to find things aren't quite what she expected. The sprawling farms she remembered picking pumpkins and strawberries at, now sprouted huge McMansions with built in pools behind sturdy iron gates, foot paths turned into concrete sidewalks, stop signs are now trafficlights, and the general store was replaced with a giant supermarket. At least the beach just steps from her house is still the same.
Professional Quarterback Colin Mallon found the perfect place to build his dream house, the quiet little beach is exactly what he's looking for. He might have had to lean on his celebrity status, call in a few favors and make a large donation to the local politicos to snag the primium beach front property, but it was well worth it. His plans for his castle in the sand are moving right along until a certain crazy woman and her wolf like dog stomp their way onto his beach and wrecked havoc on his life. Between the jerk ripping apart her beach, and the cheating doctor she'd been dating, Keely has had it with letting things go, turning the other cheek, and walking away. It's time to make a stand, even if it drains every ounce of courage she can muster. While she's at it, she's determined to swear off men for the foreseeable future. That is, until one seriously delusional football player swoops in thinking he's protecting her by kissing her senseless in front of her ex. Unfortunately, she's not a good enough actress to ignor the way his kiss made her head spin. The woman is a menace, yet Colin can't ignore the protective insticts she stirs in him, nor the way that pretend kiss had his heart wanting more. Determined to figure out what makes Keely tick, Colin soon learns that the woman he's falling in love with is in danger from a past she thought she escaped. He's determined to get answers and keep her safe, he just has to convince her of that. It was one thing when her "secret admirer" was annoying just her all those years ago, but now, even after all the time she spent away, he was back, and he upped his game, putting both her and Colin in danger. She won't let that happen, Colin has too much to lose. Maybe running all those years ago wasn't such a bad thing. While riding the relationship rollercoaster they both bought tickets to with a single kiss, the unlikely couple learn honesty, trust, laughter and good argument or two make the ride better. With the help of old friends and new they unravel a decades old mystery and expose an expanding crime ring determined to destroy innocent lives.