A tough-minded scientist, a hard-headed ex-Army Ranger. What could possibly go wrong? What the hell had she done! Jess Everston passed on a prestigious professorship at Princeton University to become the second-in-command at the Ecosystem Services Institute in the little Northern California town of Jenns Cove. She has committed herself to an experimental project in a location far from family and friends for the foreseeable future. The last thing she needs is a man complicating her life. Especially a grumpy, taciturn ex-Army Ranger turned tour guide who just happens to be her boss's brother-in-law. When Rand Gallagher returned to Jenns Cove after his last tour of duty in Afghanistan, he struggled with injuries and PTSD. With therapy and support from his family, he's settled into a quiet life back in Jenns Cove, but dark moods and nightmares still haunt him. He guides tourists on backcountry fishing excursions, but since his wildlife photography began winning awards, guiding tourists is only a sideline. Living a solitary life, he's learning to be happy again, but when his brother-in-law brings gorgeous, head-strong and annoying Jess Everston to Jenns Cove, Rand does everything in his power to ignore her. Unfortunately, fate has other ideas.