Shay Raynor doesn't need to learn anything twice. After a three-year disastrous relationship she now knows what happens when you let someone inside your heart, body and mind--they take everything. Her career as a prominent D.C. dog trainer is in tatters, but that pales next to the wounds she carries inside and out.

Liza Hughes has left her business in Montgomery for the even smaller Maypearl, Alabama, to care for her ailing father. Distance from her clinging ex is also welcome. She's not expecting to meet someone like Shay, but the attractive newcomer in the small town is clearly keeping her distance from life.

Shay might eventually open up to Liza's friendship and more, but the arrival of a woman named Pepper changes everything. Clearly, she wants Shay back. Finally, facing Shay's terror, Liza understands what it will take for the two of them to have a future--they must deal with Shay's past.

Identity is a story of survival, tenacity and the strength of true love.