Judge Laurel Kincade has it all-brains, beauty, and an aristocratic Old South family to back her up. A political rising star, she's ready to announce her candidacy for chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. Journalist Cole McGaughan has ambitions too. Working as a religion writer for the New York Daily Journal, he longs to become a political reporter. Then his old friend Matt Hogan, a private investigator, calls with a tip. The lovely young judge may be hiding a secret that could derail her campaign. Would Cole like to be the one to break the story? Cole sees a clear road to his goal, but there's a problem. Laurel's history is entangled with his own, and he must decide if the story that could make his career is worth the price he'd have to pay. Can Cole and Laurel find forgiveness and turn their hidden past into a hopeful future-and somehow keep it all off the record?