For three years ex-soldier, Patrick Reeves has avoided his once comfortable world. Unable to accept his terrible injuries, he moves to a secluded cottage in France and hides from everyone, most of all himself.But when a bright, beautiful woman, who stirs his blood and steals his heart, discovers the ruined Chateau and estate on which home stands, it's more than his unerring control can bear. for her to flinch from his wounds would be terrible, but for to pity him would be the final insult. His only option is to ensure that she never sees him at all.Ellen doesn't give a damn what Patrick looks like. One glimpse of his shaded figure, one hint of his masculine scent and she is his forever. She ends her engagement and follows her heart, buying the Chateau to fulfil a dream that has been her only wish since her brother was blown up in Afghanistan. If she can capture the elusive Patrick while attaining her goals, her world will be complete.But Patrick is hiding from more than himself. Ellen is Devastated when he abandons her for a flame haired beauty and when her ex-fiance reappears, determined that he is surrendering neither Ellen or her fortune, she discovers that she is in danger of not only losing her lover but her life.Can Patrick escape in time to save the woman who loves and accepts him exactly as he is or will she be lost to him forever while he has been Running Scarred for far too long.