Marilee James has a complicated life—caring for her special-needs son, playing surrogate mother to an abandoned niece and temporarily running the local paper until the new managing editor arrives. She's so busy attending to everyone else that her own yearnings get pushed aside.

Then Tate Holloway comes speeding into town in his BMW, bringing his whiz-bang laptop, journalistic integrity and the thrill of remembering what running a small-town newspaper is all about. Tate's a firm believer in the little things that make life worthwhile: overripe peaches, a good dog, a passionate kiss. The kinds of things he thinks Marilee needs to rediscover—with him.

Problem is, she's already engaged. Not about to let a little thing like a fiancé stand in his way, Tate sets out to win Marilee's heart, little by little, starting with cold tea on a hot day.