As a boy, Nash Hawthorne spent countless afternoons on the Louisiana side of Cottonbloom with Tally Fournette, wading in the river, peeling oranges and catching frogs. When illness stole his mother, Nash yearned to take Tally and run awayβfor good. Instead, he crossed the state line to live with his aunt. It was a short distance as the crow flies, but it swept him into a whole new worldβ¦
After Nash left, Tally managed to struggle through her own losses without him. But now that sheβs crossed paths with him againβat Cottonbloom College, where the grown-up, gorgeous Nash teaches historyβshe is reminded of their cherished youthful connectionβ¦and an attraction that has only gotten stronger with age. Between Tallyβs possessive ex and Nashβs snobbish aunt, no one thinks they belong together. In a town torn apart by old resentments and rivalries, can they find their way back to the life they once sharedβand turn their long-lost dreams into a real and lasting love?