When Kate Winters, author of the mystery series The Masters, develops writer's block, her old friend and wealthy widow Brenda Granbury invites her to spend the summer in Coyote, New Mexico, to clear her mind. Leaving behind the Dallas heat - and her live-in girlfriend - Kate retreats to the high mountain desert and finds herself surrounded by Brenda's eccentric friends and artists. But it's the local sheriff, Lee Foxx, who holds her attention. Lee, however, has a penchant for dating only the young tourists that flock to the river canyon each summer and has no intention of ever settling down.

Despite Kate's revulsion of Lee's dating habits and Lee's distaste of Kate's so-called girlfriend, the women soon develop a friendship. Over the summer months, their friendship threatens to evolve into more, and Kate tries to maintain her convictions - that she is in a committed relationship and that she will not become one of Lee's "groupies".

When they finally give in to their attraction and desire, an unexpected visit by Kate's girlfriend sends everyone scrambling. Kate is torn between her perception of the safe relationship she has with Robin, and her overwhelming desire to be with Lee. Lee, on the other hand, is trying to cope with the realization that has fallen in love for the first time. And fallen for someone who is technically unavailable. Will Lee fight to keep Kate in Coyote? Or will she let her escape back to Dallas with Robin?