Short Story A new dawn Wounded veteran Ryder Shelton wants to retreat from the world, and can think of nowhere better than his hometown of Rankins, Alaska. It's cold, clean and best of all—isolated. Though Rankins is small and remote, the people who live there are warm and caring, and butt their way into Ryder's life, especially one pretty and determined neighbor Jessie Madigan. Jessie and her special dog Fife start to mean a lot to Ryder. But is he ready to return to normal life? Is Ryder ready for romance?