Cowboy Zach Gamble has been through hell and back. The driver in a devastating crash that killed his brother and paralyzed his father, he's got emotional wounds far worse than any physical scars. Saving the family ranch is his penance. He'll keep Twinridge Ranch going even if it kills him – which it might.

Physical therapist Desiree Burke loved the challenge of a hopeless case – until a false claim of elder abuse shattered her reputation, and her confidence. But when her friend Rory begs her to come to Twinridge to help a man learn to walk again, she can't say no. But the Gamble men might be the challenge of her life. Zach's father has given up and Zach? He won't even admit to the pain that Des reads on his body. The former foster child is both fascinated and envious of the Gamble family bonds but Des knows better than to get attached.

The new therapist is driving Zach nuts. Can't she see how fragile his father is? Why does she push so hard? Worse yet is the compassion he sees when their eyes meet. He doesn't need it, doesn't want it, doesn't deserve it. But Des's touch unlocks something inside Zach that he thought was dead. She makes him feel, and he doesn't want that.

But then Des works her way into his ranch, his family, and his life. He can't resist her and now, to earn her love, he has to find forgiveness for the person he blames most: himself.