Beauty and the tormented beast Ford Winter, the oldest, and, according to his siblings, ugliest, is a man with carefully hidden secrets. Outwardly relaxed, laid back, and happy with life on his family’s ranch, Ford takes comfort in the daily rhythms of his life. Under the surface, however, he is battling with the demons of something he will never share with anyone. Business takes him from his hometown, and when he finds a desperate woman standing outside his hotel room, clearly in pain, he does what he does best. Steps in to help her. What he doesn’t realize is that life as he knows it, from that moment, is about to change after their encounter. Autumn Harris, the sweet new teacher in town, and woman he rescued, is a single mother and way too nice for the likes of him. He doesn’t want nice and sweet, or a relationship, because at night, when the door to his room is closed, often Ford’s life changes for the worst. Plagued with nightmares from an event that changed his life, he never wants anyone to see his demons. Especially Autumn. Can their demons be tamed? Autumn desperately needs a life change, both for herself and her son, Ritchie. So, when she reads about a teaching position in Ryker Falls, Colorado, she jumps at the chance. Finally, she can escape the man who had once held her heart. A man who thinks he can still be part of their lives, despite Autumn’s protests. The Ryker Falls community welcome her and Ritchie, wrapping them in a secure blanket of love and support. After the hell that she’s come from, it’s like the best kind of dream come true. Right up until the day she walks into Ford Winter again. He’s the man who tenderly looked after her, the man who showed her such gentle kindness when she’d no one else to turn to. The tall, imposing rancher with the easy smile but shadowed eyes. Autumn senses something is off with Ford. Something dark is plaguing him, his unspoken demons obvious in his manner and rejection. Autumn is both scared yet drawn to an inward struggle she well recognizes, but also knows her heart can never be truly his. Not when she has so much at stake to lose. Can Ford and Autumn heal each other, or will the past that comes calling and stop them from finding a future together?