As a child, Mikhail Wanjek couldn’t save his drug-addled mother; as a young man, he left a promising military career because he couldn’t defend the innocent victims of war. When Mikhail’s feeling like a failure, not even the love of his adoptive parents and loyal brothers can console him. But after he volunteers to help his beautiful brunette neighbor install a fence around her yard, Mikhail begins to heal. He wants to shield her pure, unabashed lust for life from the darkness—including his own.

Successful heart surgery has allowed Amy Short to finally set out on her own, apart from her loving but overprotective family. Now she’s experiencing new thrills with the chiseled fireman next door, from riding on the back of Mikhail’s Harley to late nights full of passion. Still, he refuses to open up emotionally, and with Amy’s history, she’s not willing to wait around for Mikhail to change. What she needs to do is show him that together they can build something that will last forever.