Photojournalist Gabriel St. James comes to Shelter Bay, Oregon to take wedding pictures for one of his Marine buddies. The only reason he even agreed to do such a thing was that Cole Douchett was such a good buddy. Gabe hates weddings.

As a Marine, he started taking pictures when he wasn't fighting. It was a way to convey what the soldiers felt as they were forced into inhuman situations. His work has won awards and exposed the realities of war to millions. Since Gabe has left the Corp, he is traveling the country in an RV taking photos in every state. After he leaves Oregon, he just has to visit Washington and Alaska to finish his photo tour and next book.

At the wedding, he meets Charity Tiernan, an attractive veterinarian who captures his interest. As Gabe is leaving Shelter Bay, he sees someone toss a dog onto the road and then run over it. Gabe picks up the dog and takes it to Charity for treatment. The next thing he knows he has been drafted to take care of the animal while it heals and while Charity searches for someone to take it in.

Charity Tiernan came to Shelter Bay to get away from the mess she had made of her life. She had dumped one of the most eligible bachelors in Chicago just before they were to marry. Charity grew up watching her mother make marriage after disastrous marriage all for love. Her plans include a marriage founded not on emotion but careful planning. Only just before the wedding does she realize that there is so much more to marriage. In moving to Shelter Bay, she has turned her back on all that is familiar and started a new life. She rescues animals and badgers people into taking them in. Her life is rewarding and content.

Charity recognizes the wounds that Gabe conceals. She makes it her mission to get him to open his heart. His work is thoughtful, insightful, and provoking but it reveals an emotional disconnect and loneliness that saddens Charity.

Ms. Ross has long been a favorite writer and this book adds to her collection of great emotional reads. She has created a world which makes the reader wish to live there. Peopled with interesting and engaging characters, the reader will enjoy their glimpse into the lives of others as we watch the relationship between Gabe and Charity deepen. We will grieve over Gabe and his inability to accept the love so freely offered. We will cry with Charity as she finds herself rejected and then admire her resolution as she moves forward.