Very good book. Ellie has come to Blackwater Lake as the architect for the new Mercy Medical expansion. She is trying to restart her career after falling for a coworker who turned out to be married. While she is attracted to Alex she makes it clear that she won't get involved with him. When she falls and breaks her ankle she finds that she is dependent on him for a place to stay while she recovers and their mutual attraction only gets stronger. When Alex proposes a short term fling she figures she can enjoy being with him and move on when the job finishes. I loved Ellie's independence and determination to focus on her job. Her attraction to Alex was a surprise and she fought it as hard as she could. When she broke her ankle she really wanted to handle it all on her own, but soon realized that she couldn't. Moving in with Alex put a real strain on her willpower. I loved seeing the way that she fit into his life even though she knew it wasn't permanent. Ellie's growing love for the area made her want to stay but Alex's frequent reminders of the terms of their fling made her think that he was ready for her to go.

Alex had been terribly hurt by his ex-wife's actions and he vowed that he would not give another woman the chance to destroy him like that. He is very careful not to get involved with anyone local and makes sure that he doesn't risk his heart. His immediate attraction to Ellie puts those rules at risk. When he offers her a place to stay while her foot heals he realizes that he has just made his life a lot harder. As she becomes more and more a part of his life Alex gets more worried about what is going to happen in the future. Ellie's growing love for Blackwater Lake makes him wonder if she would stay but he is afraid to risk himself and starts to withdraw. It's not until after she leaves that he truly understands what he is losing and what he has to do about it. I loved his confrontation with one of her brothers and then later when he faces all three of them. It really showed the depth of his feelings and how much he really wanted to get it right. ( )