He's been patient; she's been busy. Patience is running out.

Melissa Oxford is a widow with a ranch, an orange grove, a goat-obsessed ten-year-old, and not enough time. She doesn't have time to make friends. She doesn't have time to stop and chat, and she definitely does not have time for a boyfriend.

Which is fine, because Cary Nakamura is far from being a boy. Cary's the man who helped Melissa plant her trees. The friend who keeps offering advice, even when she's is too stubborn to take it. He's also the man who kissed Melissa in broad daylight on a sidewalk in Metlin, California, smack in the face of God and everyone. But while Melissa may spend a little too long dreaming about Cary from a distance, she knows the kind of passion he promises is more than she can handle. She just doesn't have the time.

But sometimes, no matter how busy you are, life makes you stop. It pulls you up short and makes you see things a little more clearly. Things like . . . The people you can count on. The dreams you keep pushing away. And the passion that can't be denied.

Contains mature themes.