Rose Quinlan found herself widowed at thirty. A writer whose books never found a broad audience lived the sheltered life of an introvert. A vacation to St. Croix changes her life forever. Her agent declares her missing to generate more interest in her books, and her brother decides he wants her dead to claim her estate. Rose is drawn to a forgotten tavern called The Salty Dog and wins it in a high-stakes poker game. Once she becomes the owner, her life becomes an adventure, and she meets a cast of colorful and interesting locals who soon become her island family. One day Benny Richardson, a popular politician trying to escape a brewing scandal back home, comes into the bar and asks Rose for a job. He is there under false pretenses and, despite his best effort, falls for the woman he was being blackmailed into killing. Patch, the previous owner of The Salty Dog, befriends Rose, and they form a special relationship that neither of them knew they needed. Take the journey to St. Croix and discover how learning to love again can heal a heart, even when it belongs to the most cantankerous old salty dog.