Ashley White can't wait to begin her internship at Steel Vineyards. As an oenology doctoral candidate, she knows all the theory but lacks practice. Working under renowned winemaker Ryan Steel--and his equally talented nephew, Dale--is an opportunity she can't refuse. Dale Steel is a loner. Despite his huge family full of uncles, aunts, and cousins, he's more at home in his vineyards, where he finds something that comes close to the tranquility he craves. He'll never find true peace, and he's accepted his fate...until his new intern shows up and turns the only world he knows upside down. Ashley awakens emotions in Dale that he never dreamed possible, and though he resents her intrusion into his life, he can't deny the sparks that blaze between them. Still, he must remain distant. To succumb to his growing feelings would provoke something else entirely--the darkness he keeps hidden even from himself.