Kate Keene’s childhood memories compel her to take her newly-acquired
architectural skills to a dilapidated Louisiana mansion. But when she
returns to the Reconstruction-era South, she’s shocked to discover the
man she’s dreamed of for so long has become a bitter, angry recluse.
Colin Delany, the handsome older brother of her best friend, has lost
all he once held dear, with no hope of ever restoring the Belle Fleuve
mansion and plantation. Filled with spunk and determination, Kate feels
it’s her duty to help, so when Colin demands she roll up her drawings
and get out, she refuses. And when Colin forces Kate to promise his
dying sister they will care for his niece and nephew, she complies.
Having been orphaned herself, Kate realizes she must put the children’s
welfare above her own, even if it means a marriage of convenience. But
will Colin’s hovering darkness ever lift?