A single mom putting her life back together after an unexpected divorce, an army veteran who’s secretly been in love with her, and the decision that risks their friendship in the pursuit of more.

Sophie Whitmore fled with her daughter Caroline to Sunset Ridge, Alaska, months after her now ex-husband left her for another woman. She’s worked hard to rebuild her life in the new town alongside her sisters, running a lodge the three inherited more than a year ago.

Her priorities are clear: provide Caroline a real home, run a marathon, and learn to embrace whatever life throws at her on her own. She relied on a man once before—she won’t risk making that mistake twice. That last one would be a whole lot easier to stick to if she wasn’t starting to feel…more for her best friend, Denver.

Army veteran Denver Grant moved back to his hometown a year ago after giving up on finding love. His plan to settle into a quiet routine and focus on his increasingly popular mystery writing career was thrown the day he met Sophie. He accepted her friendship and kept his growing love for her a secret as he waited for her heart to heal. But he’s waited long enough. He wants more.

He devises a plan to a plan to play Sophie’s secret admirer, testing the waters before he lays it all on the line. But love doesn’t follow any plan.