Starla Kimbrell might be on the worst date of her life, but she didn't expect to find herself walking home alone on a dark dirt road after her latest mistake leaves her in a cloud of dust. Luckily, salvation comes in the form of Jared Stanton-single dad of two, sexy cowboy, blue eyes like whoa. If she isn't careful, she might just let him become the latest in her string of amorous disasters. Jared doesn't consider himself on the market. His first love left his heart in pieces that even a marriage to someone else couldn't salvage, and now that he's divorced and focusing on his twin daughters, he isn't looking to put another woman in the shadow of the one who crushed him. Still, the stranded tattoo artist intrigues him, while her unstable ex-boyfriend makes him worry for her safety. Is the guy just a mouthy jerk, or is Starla in real danger? Starla quickly learns that not everyone in her life is thrilled with her new interest in Jared. Their cautious courtship is rocked when tragedy strikes and the world as she and her coworkers know it is shattered. Faced with a situation she can't handle, she turns to the only man who has ever made her feel truly safe, even as she learns that Jared's protective instincts might be destructive enough in their own way to rip them apart for good. Warning: Graphic language, explicit sex.