Sam Harrington had always believed committing to a detailed plan would guarantee success in his career and in his personal life. In fact, he was certain of it as he worked his plan and became a well-respected veterinarian and one of the city's most eligible bachelors. Life was good. He had a career he loved, respect, friends, and his family. Until he chose the wrong woman, and his carefully constructed plan crushed him.

Now he's back in Magdalena, the place he once called home, trying to repair the relationship with his family and find a way out of the mess his life has become. What he doesn't need is an outsider in town, especially one who oozes class and attitude.

Hope Newland moves through life according to a plan her mother devised when Hope was a child, one that does not include a meager upbringing, lack of a father, or a small-town background. When her company decides to expand into the bed-and-breakfast market, Hope is sent to Magdalena, New York, a town that has a reputation for attracting repeat visitors as well as future residents. Hope's job will be to observe, interview, and figure out why this town and its bed-and-breakfast are so special.

Hope soon realizes Magdalena and the people in it might just be different, and that includes Sam Harrington. He makes her uncomfortable with his pointed stares and blunt questions, as though he knows she's not as confident or high-class as she pretends... and that makes him dangerous.

Sam's also in "dangerous" territory because he trusted the wrong woman before. Still, there's something about Hope Newland that draws him to her...makes him wonder if she's part of a bigger plan...one he can't control?