When Paige Lassiter, scared and covered with bruises, comes into his bar with her three-year-old son, Marine John "Preacher" Middleton, immediately drawn to this courageous woman, offers her a safe haven in his arms.

"Four years ago, Air Force sweethearts Franci Duncan and Sean Riordan reached an impasse. She wanted marriage and a family. He didn't. But a chance meeting proves that the bitter breakup hasn't cooled their sizzling chemistry. Sean has settled down in spite of himself--he's not the cocky young fighter pilot he was when Franci left, and he wants them to try again. After all, they have a history, but that's not all they share. Franci's secret reason...