High in the Colorado Mountains, ranger and wildlife consultant Steve Johnson guards the quiet life he loves and tells himself his attraction to Shannon Braden is under control, after all, she is only in the area temporarily and he doesn't do casual affairs. Shannon returns to Colorado partly to gather data she has been hired to collect and partly to continue the game of cat and mouse the two of them have been playing, determined to explore the heat simmering between them. Steve, just as determined to keep his distance, holds the line, until a ranch bordering the national park goes up for sale. Set on keeping the land out of the wrong hands, he will do whatever it takes to protect it, and when every other option fails he is left with no choice but to follow Shannon's lead into the online world he can't stand in order to raise the money. The more time they spend working side by side, the harder their attraction becomes to deny, and their teasing standoff turns into a connection neither can shake. When Shannon's assignment finally ends, though, they must decide whether it means the end of them, too.