No one in tiny Chesley knows the truth about Damaris Howard; a woman of wealth and beauty, she rarely allows anyone to get close. Her past was marked by scandal and abandonment--better to stay aloof and reinvent herself.

Then Damaris meets Alec Stafford, the Earl of Rowden. The tall, handsome border lord is a man of quiet but deep passion, raised to show no weakness and burned once before by a woman's love. But when he and Damaris cross paths inside London society, they set sparks of attraction blazing--and rumors flying.

And when someone abducts Damaris from the city streets, Alec must stake more than his reputation to rescue her. . . . Finding out who's behind a dangerous plot plunges Alec and Damaris together in an intimacy that melts their well-guarded reserve, proving that true love's rich rewards may just be worth the risks.