Seeking to escape the clutches and mental abuses of her ex- husband, Lia's heart sunk as she realized her desperate flight to freedom could soon be ended even before the introductions were over. As Jake Robbins, the tough and tattooed ex-army brother of her good friend Rose, queried her son's name as being "Howie Howard", she quickly recovers from her fright and tells him it was a nickname.

Jake senses that Lia was hiding something, but he admires her loyalty, grit and determination to be independent, despite the bald tires on her old been around the block too many times car and the hungry looks in her kids' eyes for some food. Hoping the Rose would help her out like she had in the past, Lia had loaded her car with everything she could take while still squeezing in her three children. But, the car had broken down again, she missed Rose's wedding and now had little money to find a place to stay.

Jake had been cleaning up the resort cottages that had been in his family for years and gave Lia a face-saving offer of a cottage to stay in if she would help with the cleaning. As Lia struggles to make a new living for herself, Jake finds himself enjoying 10 year old Howie's intelligent questions, being enchanted by the boundless joy of four year old Kristen Rose, and even the gothic 14 going on 18 Samantha's antics remind him of his boyhood antics.

Burnt by love's flames in the past, Jake had erected fire- proof barriers and was intent on being a lifetime bachelor. Yet, as the thought of a ready-made family and a beautiful wife crosses his mind, he finds the idea an intriguing solution. But, why does Lia resist the idea and him with such vengeance when it is the perfect solution?

Returning to the north country setting of Alouette, Michigan, Carrie Alexander has spun a captivating, yet realistic story with a solid and effective plot and very believable characters. The children and their escapades ring true as they find joy in the moment, yet struggle with keeping up the pretence needed to help their mom. With Lia's ever present concern of being found out, you won't want to put this book down until you find out if she can really learn from her mistakes! Enjoy!