Good book that started with a bang and kept me hooked to the end. The story opens as Lila preps her art gallery for a showing. She's excited to have several paintings from a reclusive painter in her gallery, but that excitement turns to dismay when insurance investigator Carter Finch shows up. Carter believes that those paintings are forgeries and is on a mission to catch the forger. He initially suspects Lila of being involved, especially when the gallery goes up in flames with them inside.

It doesn't take long for Carter to realize Lila is innocent of involvement, which is a relief. He can't deny his attraction to Lila or that he finds himself wanting to stay close to her. Carter doesn't know what to do with that feeling. His job requires almost constant travel, and he has never craved a home and family. He stays with Lila at her house while they work to find the forger and the person responsible for torching her gallery. As he and Lila grow closer, he keeps reminding her and himself that he must leave soon. But when it comes time to do so, he can't go while the fire is left unresolved. At the same time,
Lila finds herself falling hard for Carter.

I enjoyed watching the relationship between Carter and Lila develop. The sparks flew between them from the start though they tried to resist. Once they got past Carter's suspecting Lila, their connection took off. I liked seeing them get to know each other, with Carter doing little things for Lila showing his appreciation for staying with her. Lila includes Carter in family events, showing him what a close family is like. Poor Carter was a little overwhelmed by all of the family togetherness and a little
envious. I especially enjoyed seeing Lila's mother's treatment of him. Lila keeps telling herself that she can't fall for Carter because he is due to leave but eventually admits to herself that it's too late. Carter
has a harder time of it because he doesn't recognize his feelings. I loved seeing him figure it out and come up with the solution to being together.

The suspense of the story was excellent. It started with the search for forged paintings and the forger himself. When the gallery burned, and it looked like there may be a connection to the forgeries, Carter decided to stay and help the investigation. I liked how Lila insisted on being involved in the search. Some tension occurred when the arson investigator focused on Lila, but Carter quickly showed him the alternatives. I loved seeing Carter follow the tangled threads that led from the forger to the fire to the person behind the fire. The tension increased the closer they came to the arsonist. The final confrontation was a nail-biter as Lila wound up in the wrong place at the wrong time. The ending was terrific. ( )