DeShea Ballard had come to Louisiana in search of the sister she had lost as a child, only to find her sister had died, leaving an orphaned son, Danny. DeShea longed to shower Danny with love, but her nephew's Uncle Nick was a fierce--yet fascinating--protector who sent her emotions spiraling into a bewildering new dance. To Nick Couvillion, DeShea was a mystery. Sunlight, and then shadows . . . hot, and then cold . . . utterly impossible to get a handle on. She aroused Nick's protective instincts--not just for Danny, but for this fragile woman. He ached to find the true DeShea beneath the brittle shell. Would she prove ice--or fire--in his embrace?