The horrors Lord Haile Buchanan witnessed while serving in the British Army left scars branded into his soul. Survival dictates relegating those harrowing memories to the past. These days, he lives a quiet life running his Northumberland pub with few people knowing his title or his past. It's more than enough excitement to keep him occupied and out of trouble--until he glimpses the stunning beauty sobbing beneath the awning of Hope Center. Common sense demands she's not his burden to bear. Honor and decency refuses to let him walk away.
Marisol Elliot can't believe she uprooted her life back in the US only to be ruthlessly duped by a despicable catfisher. Now she's stranded in a foreign country with nothing--and no one to help her. The last thing she expects is the gorgeous, ginger-haired stranger who rushes to her aide like a gallant knight in shining armor. When he offers her a strong shoulder to cry on and a hot meal at his pub, she gratefully accepts. And then when he offers her a job? It seems too good to be true. After all she's been through, it's hard to trust again. But something about Haile beckons to her like an irresistible beacon.
Having Marisol in his employ is a far bigger boon than Haile ever expected. She's a damn good bar manager and he's lucky to have her. The one drawback? Being around her is stirring emotions he never expected to feel. Their chemistry is explosive and getting harder and harder to deny--for both of them. Just as the walls around their hearts begin to crumble, Mari's past and a dangerous enemy threaten to destroy everything. Protecting her is Haile's only mission--even if it means summoning his own past demons.