When Ben Sheridan is released from prison in 1936, he returns to his hometown in the Blue Ridge Mountains with only one goal--to lead a simple life. Although he's paid his debt to society, he's never forgiven himself for the unthinkable act that forced him to take the life of his step-brother over a decade before. Small-town storekeeper, Heather O'Malley, has never played the victim, but to most she's still that "scarred" young woman, the past prey of a madman. Unconventional and independent, she seizes the opportunity to help Ben restart his life, in part to atone for her silence about the events that sent her rescuer to prison. Ben can't resist Heather's free-spirited approach to life, and she can't resist his reluctant charm. Neither intends to fall in love, but when dangers from their past threaten their fragile connection and another young girl turns up missing, they discover just how knotted together their lives are--and how fiercely they're willing to fight for each other and their future.
M.K. Chester is an award-winning, multi-published romance author who likes complex characters, off-beat eras, and happy endings. She's a member of Romance Writers of America and its awesome Nashville chapter, Music City Romance Writers. In her other lives, she is a college paper-pusher and history professor, wife and mom, and the owner of two beastly Scottish Terriers, Stewie and Angus.
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