High Tide - Crystal Coast Series, #1

Where the sand dunes tower and the horses run free, a mysterious island may hold painful secrets of the past. Romance and suspense reach new heights in the coastal Outer Banks. Claire Kincaid is drawn to a small town on the coast. As a wildlife photographer, she's captivated by the scenery and the wild horses she finds on a nearby island. The breeze is fresh, the tang of sea salt tasting oddly reassuring.
There is a familiarity, as if she's returned home after years away. She yearns to find her estranged father, having heard he lives somewhere in the area, but feels most connected to him when she's on the deserted island. While on a photo shoot of the wild horses, she misses the last passenger ferry back to the mainland and is stranded overnight with little food or water. Black thunderheads are already gathering out at sea.
Jeff Rhoades, park ranger and wildlife biologist, discovers Claire hasn't returned to the mainland and searches late into the night to find her. But she's anything but excited to see him. As they spend more time together, though, their complicated relationship grows confusing and their attraction to each other is undeniable. Though neither are in a position to acknowledge it, the chemistry between them intensifies, until he discovers intricate secrets of her past.