Orphaned at 13, Charlie Anderson has been on her own for half her life. Not that she minds ? she has her work as a vet and most days that''s enough. Most days. But when she''s sent to a small town on the New South Wales coast to investigate a possible outbreak of the deadly Hendra virus, Charlie finds herself torn between the haunting memories of her past, her dedication to the job and her attraction to a handsome local.Travelling to Naringup means coming face to face with what is left of her dysfunctional family ? her cousin Emma, who begged Charlie not to leave all those years ago, and her aunt Hazel, who let her go without a backwards glance. But it also means relying on the kindness of strangers and, when she meets local park ranger Joel Drummond, opening her heart to the possibility of something more...As tensions in the country town rise, can Charlie reconcile with the past and find herself a new future in the town she left so long ago?