After her husband's unmourned death, Callie Lambert looks forward to peaceful years on her Oregon ranch, doing things her way. Yet all too soon a handsome stranger shows up, a man who chips away at her façade without even trying and turns her dreams of solitude upside down. Rafe Millar seeks only revenge for his brother's murder, and then he will move on. Settling down is not for him, not anymore. But something in Callie's defiant green eyes and proud spirit makes him care more than he wants to - until he discovers the murdering scoundrel is not only Callie's neighbor but a rival for her hand in marriage.