She's determined never to marry. He's resolved never to love. But fate has its own plans...

Franny was born to rope and ride on the rancho she loves. But she can’t escape her mother’s attempts to lace her into the corset of propriety. So she makes one last grab for a grand adventure—and lands square in the path of the one man who’s never thought of her as anything but a pest.

Felipe is friendly and open to everyone he meets—and attached to no one. Loss has taught him that love can shatter a man. He’s spent half his life ensuring his best friend’s little sister never breaks her neck doing a man’s job. But when Franny stows away on a dangerous hunt for a cougar menacing the ranch, they are trapped together in the mountains of California… alone.

One long night by the campfire, the two crash into a passionate encounter and discover that familiarity can breed more than contempt. Much, much more. As their repressed desires dare Felipe to step from the shadows of the past, the two will discover how much they must risk for the one person they were never meant to love.