Searching for answers... Widowed Lady Elizabeth Dunston, daughter of the Earl of Hallewell, has lived a quiet life for years at her father's country estate, for it was her beloved husband's last request that she find peace. The last thing she wants is an attraction to the intriguing former soldier asking for work. Too bad anxiety continues to bedevil her and makes tranquility—and indifference—impossible.

Distracted by forbidden desire... Captain Christopher Mowbray is down on his luck. After an injury put an end to his cavalry career, he's knocked about England searching for purpose. Now, needing a paying job, he stuck around a rich nob's property hoping to become a jack of all trades. What he didn't expect was the instant desire for the pretty widow or the need to play father to her boy, and it's damn hard to hide his interest in both.

Dodging threats to their lives... While they struggle to deny the tension between them, danger has the couple in its sights, and when two attempts on their lives fail, Christopher must do something to protect the little family. As forced proximity gives way to passionate meetings, they try to puzzle out who wants to harm them. Aren't they already broken enough? Answers come during a May Day ball and put the fragile, budding romance into jeopardy. If they stay strong, they might just grasp the dream they never knew they wanted. If they survive.