Just weeks after inheriting Rosebank, a once-magnificent plantation on the banks of Bayou Teche, David Patin was killed in a mysterious fire, leaving his daughter, Vivian, almost bankrupt. With few options remaining, Vivian Patin decides to restore the family fortunes by turning Rosebank into a resort hotel. Murder changes everything. Vivian's dream becomes a nightmare when she finds the family's lawyer dead on the sprawling grounds of the estate--with a rose in his chest and a brilliant lipstick mark on his cheek. Suddenly Vivian begins to wonder if her father's death was really an accident. . .and if the entire Patin family is marked for murder. Can the killing be stopped? Sheriff Spike Devol is smart, honest, tough--and sexy. Rosebank is not in his jurisdiction, but Vivian, fed up with the corrupt local police, asks him for unofficial help. The instant attraction between them leaves Spike reluctant to get involved--until another shocking murder occurs and it seems that Vivian will be the next victim.