She'd dreamed of finding a hero like those she'd read about. So when prim librarian Claire Cooper encountered Nate Callahan, she nearly swooned! The detective was not only devastatingly handsome, he was heroically searching for a missing orphan—a little boy she loved, too. And now Claire had a new wish. . . .

Somehow sweet Claire had turned Nate's latest assignment into a gut-level longing for the home he didn't dare dream of. But since locating the boy—and promising to find him a real family—the brooding and lonely man wondered if partnering with Claire would lead him to the best kept secret of all. . . .