For Allie Baxter, love was never something she had to worry about. She was loved by her friends, her family, her husband ... until the day he was ripped away. Losing love was the deepest pain Allie had ever endured, and it was an agony she vowed to avoid feeling ever again. Crippled with guilt over her loss, for five years, Allie served her self-appointed exile from the daily comforts offered by friends and family, only to return and attempt to fit herself back into their open arms - even if she knew she didn't deserve it. Mike Lawson was not something that Allie expected; the love of a man was not something Allie was prepared to want. The spark of desire that had long ago died inside her returned, bringing the memories of her pain with it. She swore she would never allow herself to love again ... but how long could love be resisted?