Carpenter and woodworker Sawyer Macaulay loves everything about living with her dog in her little cabin in a California mountain town. Everything, except for the gossip. Especially since she doesn't share the excitement the rest of her neighbors feel when Oscar Sarkson unexpectedly drops dead. Sure, most of the town hated Oscar, but Sawyer got on fine with him. He sold her fine woodworking in his gift shop, and she didn't pry into his private business. It worked for both of them. Right up until he died, that is. Now everyone in town seems to think she must know what's happening to Oscar's store and the rest of his money and property. All she knows is that everything he owned has been inherited by a distant relative. But everyone knows that. Eddie Martinez is the contractor hired to remodel Oscar's building and Sawyer starts working for him. But any attempts at finding out more about the mysterious heir from him are met with evasiveness. In between uncovering shocking secrets as they remodel the old building and everyone in town pestering her for information, Sawyer has her work cut out. She needs to find out what really happened to Oscar—and whatever it is Eddie is hiding. Especially if they're connected. To Sawyer, these secrets are like wood rot that goes deep. And as any carpenter knows, the only way to get rid of rot is to cut it out.