Lance Michelli is on a quest to discover the secrets his grandmother cannot tell. What happened all those years ago, and what is it she so desperately needs him to find? The old villa in Sonoma holds the answers, but it is now owned by a young woman who neither knows nor cares about his mission. But Rese Barret is a force to contend with, and her own impending storm could sweep him up as their sparring creates a fierce and uncomfortable attraction. From bestselling author Kristen Heitzmann.

Lance Michelli had traveled to his grandmother Antonia's old villa in Sonoma to find the truth behind the secrets of her past. There he met Rese Barrett, the woman who now owns the villa and hides secrets of her own. Now Lance has returned to his grandmother with both Rese and the answers he has found. But Antonia refuses to hear what he has to say. Has she really misunderstood the events of that dark night so long ago? Antonia sends Lance on another quest. But this time he discovers that the past has influenced the present far more than anyone realizes. Lance is caught between the two women he loves as he uncovers unforgotten truths that could change them all forever.

Even in the midst of her affectionate and chaotic Italian family all living in the Bronx neighborhood where she grew up, Sofie Michelli feels alone. For too long, she has been caught in a net of loss and despair. When an old woman murmurs, "Finchè c'è vita c'è speranza" Where there's life, there's hope, Sofie feels the familiar words penetrate and awaken something. She is alive. It is time to let go, to start again. Rese is not sure what to make of Lance Michelli's healing gift, but she feels protective of this humbled version of the swaggering man who turned her life inside out. As they find new footing, the Sonoma villa they once intended as an inn becomes a refuge for the downtrodden—including Lance's sister Sofie. Driven to protect the weak and innocent, Child Protective Service worker Matt Hammond responds to a call and finds an infant abandoned to the care of an odd assortment of misfits. He reserves judgment on the unconventional caregivers—who both concern and fascinate him—but he is especially drawn to Sofie, the mesmerizing woman with a dancer's poise, eyes like dark copper pennies—and scars on her wrists.