It's a promise of better things to come . . .

With its colorful history, and miles of sand, tide, and windswept oaks, North Carolina's Outer Banks is a paradise for locals and tourists alike. For Curtis Gage, returning after nineteen years to be the new assistant manager of a 5-star, ocean-front resort, it's a chance to start a new life--and come to terms with an old one. This is where his father, a revered police chief, died in the line of duty. Whisked away by his mother when he was just a child, Curtis always yearned to come back and reclaim this magnificent necklace of islands as home.

But he never imagined the risks . . .

This coastal haven is in attorney Rae Alden's blood, and the resort's expansion is encroaching on precious Fortunate Harbor. For Rae and the old-town families she represents, their generations-old heritage is not for sale for all the money in the world. Who'd have guessed that the ordeal would tie Rae to Curtis, a childhood sweetheart whose family tragedy once converged, fatefully, with her own past? The landgrab is reuniting them in more ways than one. Because the property is more valuable than even Rae believed. The proof is in a secret deed and a long-lost map to a bona fide buried treasure.

If pirate legends, rekindled romance, and real-life adventure aren't enough to make the heart pound, Curtis and Rae discover they aren't the only ones hunting. In love and in danger, they have each other, and are finding a place to call home. That alone is a fortune worth fighting for.