Five years ago, Asher Quigley broke his engagement to Minerva Lambkin, believing she was an accomplice in a scheme to steal his prototype for a wondrous device. Minerva swore she was innocent, though the thief—and Asher's mentor—was her own father.

Now, sheer desperation has driven Minerva to Asher's door. Her father has been kidnapped by investors furious that he's never been able to make the machine work. Only Asher, now a rich and famous inventor in his own right, can replicate the device. He's also become a hard, distant stranger far different from the young idealist she once loved.

Despite their troubled past, Asher agrees to help Minerva. He still harbors his suspicions about her, but their reunion stirs emotions and desires they both thought were buried forever. Can they rebuild their fragile relationship in time to save her father and their future together?

29,000 words