Nothing could have prepared Stephany for the sudden death of her mother that night at dance class. At the tender age of fourteen Stephany's life was thrown into turmoil. In the months and years that followed, her rebellious ways led her to make all the wrong decisions allowing her high school crush to damage her almost beyond repair. The passion for horses Stephany shared with her mother is the link to the mystery about to unfold in this new chapter of her life. Ember, the horse she inherited from her mother is the only thing that's keeping her grounded. However her determination to dance again drives her closer to the city. A decade later, now lodging with her lifelong friend Lizzy, Stephany is determined to put her tragic past behind her and pursue her childhood dream. After a chance encounter, Stephany is strangely drawn to the owner of Sinclair's casino. Jake Sinclair, notorious for his playboy ways and debauched reputation, awakens the desire in Stephany to live again. But can she handle his reputation and accept that he too has a past that's been buried deep? How long will Stephany be able to keep her sordid past from Jake? Will he fight to keep her when he learns of those secrets? Stephany must decide if she is brave enough to take that risk in allowing him to claim her delicate heart. Can she bring down the protective walls she has spent the past five years building? More importantly, will Jake's desire prevail when he discovers the truth about her ugly past? **************************************** Each with a hidden past, the key to their connection unknown to them at the beginning is in their love of horses, even if for Jake that love died many years ago. Stephany and Jake's lives clash in an accidental encounter after a fight at his casino. Neither of them were looking for a relationship let alone love and as their stories unfold they are equally shocked by the similarities in the devastating pasts that they have each left behind. However, Stephany's secrets are exposed to Jake while she is left very much in the dark about the mystery around the man she has found herself drawn to.