As far as Elaine' concerned, when summer's tourist season arrives on Salt Spring Island, it's the off-season for romance. Her mini-empire of gourmet food trucks needs her undivided attention, and from the end of June through Labor Day, her ironclad Summer Rules are in effect. Sex is off the menu.

Richie's a local tree trimmer, focused on building his business. He's on hiatus from relationships until he meets the renowned entrepreneur, Elaine Atkins. She needs an experienced lumberjack to take down a tree that threatens to land on her most popular food truck. And when her cook can't make it into work, Richie can't say no to Elaine's plea for a temporary sous chef.

The saucy rapport and spicy heat inside her popular taco truck aren't all coming from what's cooking on the stove. Elaine's a vital woman in her mid-forties, and though Richie is twelve years younger, he deftly handles everything she tosses at him, starting with her resistance. By the end of the lunch rush, he's ready to ask her for a date. And that's when Elaine finds out just how hard it is to stick to her Summer Rules.