His uncle died with his boots on. His dress boots. And that was enough to make LAPD detective Tanner Davis drive to Refuge, a small ranching community at the east edge of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, to investigate Lorne Davis' death, and settle the various claims to his uncle's estate.
Tanner finds it suspicious that his uncle died on the heels of withdrawing his consent to leave his ranch to the National Ranch Conservancy β but the local Sherriff is disagrees. After all, Lorne was an old rancher living on his own and there was no sigh of a struggle. As Lorne's sole living relative, and the executor of his estate, cop in Tanner is quick to see a trail of intrigue...that leads him right to the door of Shaye Townsend, the pretty agent who acted as liaison between Lorne and The Conservancy.
Shaye moved from the big city to Refuge, Nevada, and lost her heart to the big sky, wide open spaces, and stunning vistas. She found her life's ambition fulfilled working with The Conservancy to acquire and protect old ranches...and she was thrilled when her friend Lorne agreed to bequeath his estate to The Conservancy. That is, until her supervisor handed him the wrong contract, and the lifelong Nevadan was so furious he drove into town and demanded that his lawyer change back his last will and testament. When she went to the ranch to explain about the mix–up, she found him dead.
Now, despite her grief, Shaye has been charged with winning back Lorne's homestead, no matter what it takes...and what it takes may be to wrap his sexy nephew around her finger. The attraction between the two is immediate. Sparks fly, but so do tempers. Yet, while they might have issues seeing eye–to–eye, both Shaye and Tanner agree that there's trouble in Refuge.
The unlikely pair spend long nights in pursuit of the truth βnights that lead to intense passion and friction of a completely different sort. But love is like a wildfire that destroys anything in its path...as will the shady characters who want Lorne's death to remain a mystery!
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