A tale of trust and love, of redemption and forgiveness. It's never too late to love yourself. Ellie is freshly divorced, and cursing the circumstances that led her to this one stoplight town in rural Maryland. Hurt and wary, she certainly had no expectations when her only friend dragged her to a house party her first night in town. So how did she end flat on her back up a winding staircase, his hands tangled in her hair? Clay recently returned from overseas a war hero; known and lauded by everyone in town except the new girl. When he meets Ellie at a party, he is captivated by her disdain, and desperate to have her before she hears the stories about him—the lies that everyone else greedily swallowed. Can two broken souls overcome their pain and learn to love again? Secrets, lies, and passionate action abound in this debut romance novel.