Love isn't supposed to make someone bleed, leave marks, or even make a person cry. But that was the only kind of “love” Alice Stratton knew. Wanting a new life, she takes her daughter, Joey, and moves to Sweet Water, a picturesque town that she hopes will erase her painful past. Cougar shifter Luke Landon has given up on having a relationship after his ex-fiancée betrayed him. Now five years later he is living in Sweet Water and is the physician to more than half the town. He never thought he'd find his mate, but all it took was for his cougar to scent Alice, the timid little lynx shifter, and his whole life changed. But Alice is damaged and has a child from another man. Can Luke heal his broken mate, be a father to a little girl who isn't his, and get past his own trust issues?