Loretta Russell is a control-freak, MIT-educated internet security expert who reluctantly returns from Silicon Valley to her tiny home town in the mountains of North Carolina to take care of her elderly mother. Jackson Shepherd is an emergency room physician, who also recently returned to his Southern roots after living in the Midwest for several years. They are both struggling to fit in, and being daily reminded of why they left the South in the first place.When Jackson visits Loretta's mother's bed and breakfast for a weekend break from his hospital routine, he and Loretta discover they are kindred souls. Very soon, they race down the path toward happily-ever-after. Unfortunately, that path is blocked by a vicious attacker, who's out to destroy any hope they have for a life together.In the spirit of the South rising again, Jackson and Loretta rebuild their lives and find joy in one another and in the mountain wilderness they love. Everything would be perfect, but for the haunting specter of Loretta's worst fear.