A sky-high Manhattan office tower is the perfect place for Ryan McKade to hide from wounds both physical and emotional. Until, that is, his meddlesome grandfather puts a stop to his seclusion and arranges for some old-fashioned backbreaking work at Parnell Bros. Inc., a not-exactly-posh rubbish removal company in blue-collar Queens, New York.

After just a few days on the job, the loner is nursing stiff muscles, evading his coworkers and pretending not to be attracted to Anna Nowakowski, the company's blond secretary. Her cheery personality and compassionate nature are irresistible to a hurting man like Ryan.

Anna is determined to break down the defenses Ryan has spent years building, and Ryan can't help but let the luscious Anna get under his skin. The question is, will they be so enthusiastic about each other once each discovers what the other is struggling so desperately to conceal?