When Emma Cantrell's marriage implodes, she learns a fast and painful lesson about trust. On impulse, she buys an elegant but dilapidated mansion in Magnolia, North Carolina, that she grudgingly admits is a lot like her—sophisticated, if a bit run-down, with a spirit meant for more. Newly energized, she plans to open the inn she's always dreamed of. But the damaged structure needs more than just TLC. Cameron Mitchell still calls himself a contractor, despite the fact he hasn't picked up a tool in the five years since his wife's death. But that doesn't deter this frantic, beautiful woman who insists he help restore her inn. Intrigued, Cameron agrees to the job, with one condition: that he be left completely alone to work. But his rules prove impossible to follow, and the more time they spend together, the more she touches a part of his heart he was sure died years ago. But making a future with Emma will require Cameron making peace with his past—.