She's open to uncomplicated companionship, except attorney Sylvester James is nagging her toward the altar. He's packing serious baggage—an unusual divorce, teenaged hellions, and widowhood by a car accident—much more than Joni thinks she's able to handle. Needing time to consider her answer, she travels to her new stomping grounds in Phoenix. While there, fresh temptation comes in the form of a successful artist, a man Joni believes is simply a painter. A man whose impatient touch will leave her craving him more.Semi-retired, Colonel Fletcher Maguire leads a secret, double life. The Army is his first love. Painting a woman's portrait usually adds a notch to his oil brush. But the two great professions come with one catch; Fletcher is going blind. Haunted by a deadly mission, old war wounds equally threaten his careers. Somehow, an unflappable, fearless potter will manage to wage war on his psyche and soothe his soul at the same time.Seduced by two talented men, Joni wants both tenderness and impatience wrapped into one delicious package—until she discovers each lover hides a devastating secret. Both insults guarantee emotional chaos. Both men deserve her stinging rejection. Satisfaction will take more than an apology for Joni to listen to her heart, but only skilled courage will stop one man's unpredicted reaction.