A SEAL VET and an abandoned puppy team up when their choices have run out. Nathan Hero, cursed with the ridiculous last name he hates so much, is back—in the town he swore he'd never return to. Serving as one of Canada's elite Delta North Team Special Ops soldiers made him proud. But he isn't proud of the PTSD that's secretly cut him down. Of how he can't hold a job now. And he isn't proud of the horrible reputation his torn-apart family still has in the small, northern Canadian town of Jack's Bay, usually so forgiving—but not in the case of those Heros. Amy St. James sparkles. An intelligent and caring young woman, she loves Jack's Bay. But she's going out on a limb now—alone—to craft a local enterprise with big plans to help the community. It's risky. And dating? Up until now, none of the preppy, well-established men her family hoists at her has captured her heart. But when she meets the dark-mooded Nathan Hero and his tiny scrapper of a puppy—Ryker—her heart crumbles. Against everyone's advice, the two become friends. The attraction builds. But as obstacles mount, everyone is against them. And as events climax, they'll have to come to terms with the importance of following their own hearts, no matter what others think. Everyone—including the whole town—will have to revisit the ultimate question: what really makes a man a hero?