Former underwear model Clay Stryker has vowed that he'll never risk his heart again. The youngest of the Stryker brothers returns to Fool's Gold to put down roots on a ranch of his own. But he's frustrated to discover that people see him only for his world-famous assets. Firefighter Chantal (Charlie) Dixon grew up an ugly duckling, a feeling reinforced by a man who left soul-deep scars. Now she has the itch to start a family yet she can't move toward the future while she's haunted by painful memories. Clay finds an unexpected ally, and unexpected temptation, in tomboyish Charlie, the only person who sees beyond his dazzling good looks to the real man beneath.