Can hearts be trusted? Even with her heartache, Tara Steele knows she'd made the right decision when she left Montana and the only man she ever loved. She'd been eighteen, too young to know what she needed from life. Now she has returned to the awe-inspiring land where Hunter Beavers still lives. He is mature, competent, a forest ranger dedicated to the wilderness and its creatures. When she calls to tell him about the dead elk she stumbled upon, he reminds himself that he stopped loving her long ago. Only identifying the poacher and making sure the shooter is brought to justice matters. Tara and he will talk about the law enforcement aspect of his job and touch on their shared memories—nothing else. However, despite her vow to focus on the responsibilities that temporarily brought her back, Tara feels compelled to advocate for the elk. Hunter, a full-blooded Salish Indian to her fifty-percent, understands her commitment. They have a lot in common—but not enough. She's free to leave again while Montana will always be his home.