A man in need of a chance. A woman in need of tenderness after the darkness. A couple in need of each other… Jared Buckman, co-owner of J&R Construction, readily agrees when his partner asks him to step in for him at a meeting. He has wanted to get near the sexy woman for a long time. Nina Osborne has consumed his thoughts, and he longs to discover all her secrets. In her eyes, he has seen for certain that there is more to her than she lets on. Nina Osborne has given up her former lifestyle, settled in Trescott Cove, and has opened a café. She has fought hard for the peace she has finally achieved. She’s doing some renovations on her café, but the contractor she’s expecting isn’t the man she gets. And she isn't sure she likes her immediate physical reaction to the enigmatic Jared Buckman. He is one tantalization she cannot afford to have. Yet the gentleness in his eyes makes her long to be the woman she once was…the woman she buried long ago. As the remodeling unfolds, Nina finds herself constantly at odds with this man who, despite his kind demeanor, does not back down when he believes in something. He has layers she’s sure he doesn’t let many people see. She is trying hard to ignore the emotions below the surface, while Jared is pursuing her with a gentle seduction that makes her need. Will their tenuous relationship survive not only the slanders on Jared's character, but also the darkness from Nina's past which surfaces? Can Nina stop being so stubborn and let him in? Will Jared be able to help her understand...he will always be Osborne’s Shelter?