She ran from a cult. He’s chasing a ghost. Together, they might just outrun the past.

Ruth Chilkoot has daddy issues. She thought they were taken care of when her father Luke went to prison. But suddenly he’s back, and the family is becoming more cult-like than ever. It’s time for Ruth to make her escape. Nearby Firelight Ridge is eye-opening for a woman who’s spent her life in seclusion. She’s already learned the hard way—courtesy of the handsome local mechanic—that a kiss doesn’t equal marriage in the “real” world. Thanks to that humiliation, she keeps her distance from Gunnar. Fortunately, she has something to focus on—discovering what nefarious plans her father is concocting at the family compound.

Gunnar Amundsen also has daddy issues. His father Anthony disappeared from Firelight Ridge years ago and hasn’t been seen since. But Gunnar knows his dad’s still alive, and so he’s stayed in the tiny Alaskan village, running the only gas station, becoming entrenched in his community…and trying to forget the shy, beguiling redhead from the Chilkoot clan he never should have kissed. Fortunately, his half-sister gives him a mystery to chase—someone has spotted their father. His trail, shockingly, leads right back to the Chilkoots.

As Ruth and Gunnar’s investigations converge, the pair gets closer and closer. But the revelations they uncover about both their fathers are just the start. Powerful outside forces have set their sights on the tiny outpost, and it’ll be up to Ruth and Gunnar to save the town…right after they save each other.